The spectre of Singur and Nandigram land movements continued to haunt the Mamata Banerjee Government even as villagers at Coochbehar and Hooghly stalled developmental projects for want of adequate compensation and other pretexts that were raised by the Chief Minister herself when she led the movements at Nandigram and elsewhere.
The incidents take place within a month of a similar agitation at Bhangar on the southern threshold of Kolkata where villagers fought back police and organized Trinamool men protesting forcible acquisition of land for a power grid. Two persons were killed in the movement that is still continuing.
The "Bhangar syndrome" spread to Coochbehar and Hooghly on Thursday where the locals either blocked roads or fought pitched battles with people and TMC men burning down a TMC party office sources said. At Coochbehar the villagers complained non-payment of compensation for lands acquired for a power grid project and demanded "full settlement of the dues before we allow the work to resume." large contingent of police was rushed to the area as the road leading from Coochbehar to Mathabhanga remained blocked through the day.
Nearer Kolkata at Goghat in Hooghly district the villagers protested laying of railway tracks by filling a huge lake "which is our sole source of water used for drinking, cooking, irrigation and fishing," villagers complained.
Hundreds of women ransacked the local Trinamool party office, setting it afire and fought pitched battles with TMC goons and police alleging "the Trinamool leaders raided our houses last night and threatened us with dire consequences if we do not allow the lake to be filled."
local TMC MlA Manas Majumdar however blamed "outsiders who are instigating the locals" adding about 128 families who had not accepted the compensation cheques were creating the problem. The two incidents were likely to ignite bigger fire in weeks to come, sources said.