The family of Mofijul Khan, one of two killed. (Express Photo by Partha Paul) The family of Mofijul Khan, one of two killed. (Express Photo by Partha Paul)

The protest over land acquisition for a power project in Bhangar in South 24 Parganas in West Bengal, which took a violent turn Tuesday and left two persons dead and several policemen injured, had been simmering for over a year. But in a state where the government proudly flaunts its ‘land bank’ and a pro-people land acquisition policy, and where the decline of the Opposition has been swift, everyone is asking only one question: Who are these protesters?

That violence erupted days before the state’s flagship Global Summit hasn’t helped matters. As they scrambled to restore order, authorities have stitched together what suggests failure on several counts: little or no intelligence on the presence of ultra-Left outfits on the ground, alleged police atrocities, intelligence failure, and infighting between two factions of the ruling TMC.

TMC leader Mukul Roy, who reached Bhangar Wednesday afternoon to take stock, was told by his party members and local policemen that his presence could further agitate the protesters. More so, because the bodies of the two who died in the violence are likely to be returned to their families. After a swift meeting with local party leaders, Roy had to return — something which TMC leaders haven’t done since they stormed to power in 2011.

Roy told The Indian Express: “Mamata Banerjee has said that if people don’t want the power plant to come up here, then it won’t. It is as simple as that. We are the only government that feeds over 70 per cent of the population free, everyone gets free education and health facilities. We are not anti-people. The problem is that outsiders have come here and instigated the villagers. Who shot these two people? It wasn’t the police. There will be an investigation into this.”

TMC leaders maintain that the “agitation isn’t that big”, that “it is limited to certain areas”, and that the “situation has been made worse by the Maoists”. Protests in the area, police sources said, have had more than 20,000 people participating. Earlier this week, a similar protest saw a gathering of even more people and the West Bengal CID decided to investigate.

On Monday evening, officers picked up Kallu Sheikh, an activist in the area who has been taking the lead in the protests and who has had past ties with the Congress and TMC. News of his detention spread like wildfire in the villages of the area and became the first of three triggers for the violence.

Speaking to Indian Express, Kallu Sheikh said, “The police simply couldn’t understand why or who are the people protesting. They felt that there was some money coming in from somewhere. They didn’t realise how much the protest means for the people here. We are protesting for our lives and livelihood, which is linked to the environment here. What could be more important than that.”

The second trigger was the alleged desecration of a mosque while the third was some “objectionable comments”, allegedly by Bhangar MLA Rezzak Mollah, about the protesters. Mollah had been sent by Mamata Banerjee with Mukul Roy and was the land reforms minister during the Left Front rule. Rezzak Mollah crossed over to TMC last year.

On Wednesday, Mollah’s arch rival Arabul Islam accompanied Roy. A party strongman who was expelled in 2014 after the murder of a political rival, Arabul Islam was arrested in 2015. The party brought him back in January 2016.

Villagers alleged it was Arabul Islam’s faction who “forced many farmers” to part with their land “at arbitrary prices”, in spite of the state government’s stand of not acquiring land without the consent of owners.

TMC sources said after Rezzak Mollah joined the TMC, Arabul Islam found his wings clipped and since then had been attempting to become relevant again. Mollah too faced competition within the party. “The result is there for all to see. Rezzak is an old man looking to be relevant, saying things without thinking of the consequences, and Arabul cares more about his own interest rather than the party’s,” a TMC leader said.

The Jomi, Jibika, Poribesh O Bastutantra Raksha Committee (committee to protect land, livelihood, environment and ecosystem), which is allegedly guided by a little-known Naxalite outfit CPI (ML) (Red Star), is spearheading the Bhangar protest.

Police and intelligence officers admitted that since the Red Star outfit had “little influence in Bengal”, its activities were rarely monitored. Villagers said Red Star leaders Alik Chakraborty, Pradip Singh Thakur and Sharmishtha Chowdhury have been mobilising people here for almost a year, and the protests picked up momentum after November 2016.

Red Star is primarily based in Kerala and has little influence in Bengal and when its candidate Shikha Sen Roy contested the 2014 Lok Sabha elections from Dumdum constituency, she got only 1,544 votes — the least among all candidates. Chowdhury told The Indian Express, “We have been with the people from the start. Their fight is our fight and we will not stop until our demands are met.”

A police officer conceded: “They have been gaining strength. From 2014 to now, they have come a long way. What they have done successfully is create a committee of stakeholders from different political backgrounds, they have mobilised people from different walks of life. Since they are so small, the government failed to assess the situation on the ground.”

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