Kin of murdered Nandigram villagers indifferent to HC ordering reopening of cases

On March 14, when Trinamool Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party leaders got into a physical altercation at East Midnapore district’s Nandigram over paying homage to the 14 villagers killed in police firing on that date in 2007, Sunil Bar was not even aware that a month ago, the Calcutta high court had ordered fresh investigation into his father’s murder in 2008. After a series of hearings on two petitions, of which one was filed by the CPI’s legal cell, the Calcutta high court directed the West Bengal government on February 10 to reopen ten murder cases registered between 2007 and 2009 in the Nandigram area, setting aside the TMC government’s decision to withdraw prosecution against the accused persons. In fact, it would cause public harm and injury.” “Assistant public prosecutor or the public prosecutor, as the case may be, in charge of the criminal cases, will take necessary and suitable measures to ensure that, the concerned criminal cases are revived and prosecuted, in accordance with law,” the court said, adding that it expected the government to act in two weeks. “The court said Adhikari must pay his respects to the dead and leave by 10am but he kept us waiting for two hours,” said Sheikh Sufiyan, Nandigram’s TMC leader.