In a grim reminder of the Nandigram movement in the closing years of the Marxist rule when people in throngs came out on village streets with sticks and other weapons, hundreds of people mainly women on Thursday marched to the Sandeshkhali Police Station — where little more than a month ago hundreds of Trinamool Congress goons had attacked Enforcement Directorate officials when they went to raid the house of local TMC toughie Sheikh Shahjahan.
Like in Nandigram they carried sticks, wooden planks and even kitchen tools in their hands as they lay seize to the police station.
A helpless police led by the DIG and SP-rank officials watched helplessly while the villagers gheraoed the police station and demanded the arrest of Shibu Hazra and Uttam Sarda the two henchmen of Sahjahan who is presently at large amid suspicion of he having fled to either Sunderbans or Bangladesh.
Villagers in hordes marched to the police station demanding arrest of the TMC leaders alleging how they had grabbed hundreds of acres of lands converting them into fisheries.
“We we went to the police they would turn us back asking us to settle the disputes ourselves … the goons of Sahjahan beat up our men and forcibly occupied our lands leaving us with no livelihood,” women shouted at the local SP when he tried to reason out with them.
“There is no question of withdrawing this movement will continue with our protests until Shahjahan, Shibu Hajra and Uttam Sarda are arrested,” they shouted.