West Bengal Gestapo police in grip of paranoia - Imagine maoists everywhere

I am not sure but I think the same group runs http://www.sanhati.com/

Intellectuals’ outfits incur Naxalite tag

Rajib Chatterjee
KOLKATA, July 3: A mass organisation opposing Singur “land grab” and Nandigram “genocide” under leadership of eminent persons like litterateur Mahasweta Devi and educationist Mr Sunanda Sanyal have been termed as “frontal organisation” of CPI-Maoist by the city police today.

The city police authorities stated in its website that Sanhati Udyog a “frontal organisation of CPI-Maoist held a rally in front of coffee house on Bankim Chatterjee street near College Square in the city this afternoon. The litterateur responded strongly against such malicious “campaign against” of the city police. She sought an “apology” from city police commissioner Mr Prasun Mukherjee.

“Who gave him (Mr Mukherjee) the rights to say that Sanhati Udyod is a frontal organisation of an extremist group like CPI-Maoist. I will ask the police commissioner to apologise for calling us sympathisers of the extremist outfit,” the litterateur told The Statesman over phone.

It may be mentioned that the litterateur had gone to Singur on 27 September last year to attend a public hearing (gana sunani) organised by Sanhati Udyog, a forum of human rights activists. Social worker Ms Medha Patkar and educationist Mr Sunanda Sanyal had also attended the hearing where more than 3,000 farmers had gathered and expressed their unwillingness to give up land for the small car project.

When asked if she has ever attended any meeting of a frontal organisation of CPI-Maoist, the author replied in the negative. “Even a former magistrate of a court had attended the hearing. The organisation doesn’t have any links with any militant outfit,” she said. Mr Amitdyuti Kumar, joint convener, Sanhati Udyog, said human right activists and several other people from many democratic organisations belong to Sanhati Udyog which has no contacts with the CPI-Maoist. He demanded an apology from the city police authorities for tarnishing the image of Sanhati Udyog.

When contacted Mr Prasun Mukherjee, commissioner of the city police, said that he “doesn’t know” what “exactly” was posted in the website. The deputy commissioner (headquarters) called up this correspondent to tell “the Sanhati Udyog members may be sympathisers of the Maoists but the it would be wrong to brand the organisation as a frontal wing of the CPI-Maoists.”