One CPM MP along with a CPM zilla parishad officer and two IPS officers planned Nandigram massacre

One CPM MP along with a CPM zilla parishad officer and two IPS
officers planned Nandigram massacre
Ajanta Chakraborty

KOLKATA: How does it feel to be party to a mass-murder masterminded by politicians? Or — precisely — to be branded as "killers-in-uniform" by just about everyone, including one's own family?

The questions weren't actually posed to three policemen TOI spoke to. For, these men in khaki who had participated in what they described as the "party-police combine carnage" on March 14, have been going through a lot of self-questioning ever since their return from battlefield Nandigram.

"It feels terrible looking at those TV footage — knowing that we were involved in the bloodbath," one of the cops said as he recounted the "joint operation" by the police and local CPM. "Four heads had got together and schemed Operation Nandigram. They had outlined how the police would begin dispersing the crowd first and how the hired criminals would take over after that," claimed one of the three cops TOI spoke to.

The "core team" comprised a CPM MP, a zilla parishad leader and two senior IPS officials. "The IPS officers took their orders from the two CPM leaders. We learnt about the gameplan later, but we hadn't the slightest clue about it on the morning of March 14," claimed another policeman.

"As men, women and chil dren ran for their lives, they were grabbed by CPM's hired goondas, a few kiliometres from the firing spot. Some men and women were killed instantly. "We also have information about women being raped. The goons (in groups of six to eight) were hiding at strategic points so that they could overpower the fleeing men and women," said one of the three cops.

He recounted in horror: "The women cried for help, but no one came forward. Their menfolk retaliated, killing some of the criminals who were later to be projected as missing CPM men." All the three cops corroborated that "IG (western range) Arun Gupta verbally ordered the firing. Yet, after the carnage, he started shouting: 'Who gave you the authority to fire?' The constables told him 'the IG did', not knowing that they were actually talking to the IG himself."

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