Two people were killed and several injured in the Bhangor area of South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal on Tuesday as clashes broke out between the police and villagers opposing construction of a Power Grid sub-station in the area.
Villagers, who blocked roads and damaged several police vehicles, claimed that police had opened fire on the protesters while police said the firing took place between two groups of protesters in which the casualty took place.
When asked about reports of police firing in the area, ADG (law and order) Anuj Sharma said, "There has been no police firing. The police didn't fire a single shot. The work of the Power Grid station has already stopped. The person was declared dead on arrival at the hospital and the other person is undergoing treatment."
Different Narratives Emerge
The West Bengal government has declared that the project be stopped.
According to a highly-placed source at the state Secretariat Nabanna, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday had asked the police to exercise restraint and refrain from opening fire in Bhangor.
A senior police officer said the police were attacked by the villagers and a few of them were injured by stones and bricks thrown at them.
To bring the situation under control, police resorted to bursting tear gas shells and lathicharge, he said.
Villagers on the other hand alleged that the police resorted to unprovoked lathicharge, teargassing and firing.
State Power minister Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay said, "Police did not retaliate, but only chased away the villagers when stones and bricks were thrown at them. There was no reason for the protests as the state government has already halted the project following protests by the people. I had invited them (farmers and villagers) several times for a meeting, but they kept on refusing.
"The state government has stopped the project as per their demand. Still they are creating problems in the area. I do not see any logic behind this... I have doubts about their real intention," Chattopadhyay said.
"If the sub-station was set up, everyone would have got electricity, whether they belonged to TMC, CPI(M), Congress or BJP," he added.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)