Nandigram
Encyclopedia
Nandigram is a rural area with two commuunity development blocks in Haldia subdivision
of Purba Medinipur district of the Indian state of West Bengal
. It is located about 70 km south-west of Kolkata
, on the south bank of the Haldi River, opposite the industrial city of Haldia
. The area falls under the Haldia Development Authority.
In 2007 the West Bengal government decided to allow Salim Group
to set up a chemical hub at Nandigram under the special economic zone
policy. This led to resistance by the villagers resulting in clashes with the police that left 14 villagers dead, and accusations of police brutality.
Ms Firoza Bibi of All India Trinamool Congress
is the newly elected Member of Legislative Assembly
from Nandigram Assembly Constituency, by-elections for which were held on Jan 05, 2009.
, Sushil Kumar Dhara
, Satish Chandra Samanta
and their friends for a few days (which is the only part of modern India to be freed twice), before India gained de facto freedom in 1947.
In post Independent India, Nandigram had been a centre of learning and played a major part in the development of Haldia, a satellite town of Calcutta (Kolkata). Fresh vegetables, Rice and fish are being supplied to Haldia from Nandigram. Like Haldia, Nandigram has a natural strategic geographic location for business and farming. The Ganga (Bhagirathi) and Haldi (downstream of Kanshabati) cover the edges of Nandigram, and thereby the land is fertiled by both the rivers.
Although 60% of the area has a Muslim population, but this area has never been in the clutches of Hindu-Muslim riot. The Nandigram town is dominated by brahmins (the Tewaris, Mukherjees, Pandas).
The controversy over the state government plan to build a chemical hub in Nandigram led opposition parties to organise against the acquisition of land. The Trinamool Congress, Socialist Unity Centre of India
(SUCI), Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind
and Indian National Congress
cooperated to establish the Bhumi Uchhed Pratirodh Committee
(BUPC, 'Committee against Land Evictions'). A large number of erstwhile supporters of the ruling CPI(M) party also joined them. The apparent aim of the BUPC was to protect the farmers' lands. However the top leadership of the ruling party, determined to ride roughshod over all opposition, painted the agitation as one against industrialisation. The official propaganda carried by pro-government media talked of jobs for the large number of unemployed youths of the state of West Bengal and made claims of a boost to development in the area. According to the version propagated by the party, the region would have become an industrial belt and would have attracted further investments and jobs to the state. The main opposition party, the TMC, maintains however that they are opposed not to industrialization per se but poorly planned projects carried out with inhuman methods.
The situation came to a head when the MP from nearby Haldia took a pro-active role in the project. The Haldia Development Authority under him issued a notice for land acquisition. Several supporters of both the CPI(M) and the BUPC were violently attacked by opponents with their houses vandalised. Both sides amassed huge quantities of arms and several clashes resulted in incidents allegedly of arson, murder and rape. However, the BUPC got the upper hand owing to its commanding greater public support and allegedly supported by Maoists, did not allow police and CPI(M) cadre to enter for over 3 months by digging up roads.
When the ruling party sought to reestablish its previous domination, it mobilised the administration in the name of removing blockades and restoring "normalcy". On the night of March 14, 2007, the party's cadre allegedly bolstered by hired hardened criminals from the state and outside, conducted a joint operation with the state police. They unleashed a reign of terror, killing at least 14 people (the officially admitted number, very likely a gross underestimate), maiming many more and allegedly committing numerous infanticides and rapes. There were allegations of removal of evidence in the form of dead bodies and injured persons.
Several writers, artists, poets and academicians took a strong position against the police firing which in turn brought significant international attention.
However, there has been some division among the intelligentsia in Bengal. While Mahasweta Devi
, Aparna Sen
, Saonli Mitra, Suvaprasanna, Joy Goswami
, Kabir Suman, Bratya Basu
along with noted envioronment activist Medha Patkar condemned the government; Soumitra Chatterjee
, Nirendranath Chakraborty, Tarun Majumdar
defended the Chief Minister on development issue. Just after the bloodbath of Nandigram on 14 March, pro-government intellectuals have spoken in favour of the Chief Minister which includes the novelists Buddhadeb Guha
and Debesh Roy, the litterateur Amitava Chaudhuri, the poet Mallika Sengupta, the actors Dilip Roy, Sabyasachi Chakraborty
, and Usha Ganguly
, the singers Amar Pal, Shuvendu Maiti, Utpalendu Chaudhuri, and Indranil Sen, the sarod exponent Buddhadev Dasgupta, the historian Aniruddha Roy, the football luminary P K Banerjee, the noted architect Sailapati Guha, the scientist Saroj Ghosh, and the poet Nirendranath Chakravarty
who presided over a gathering at Science City Auditorium, kolkata. However, noted Leftist intellectuals such as Sumit & Tanika Sarkar, Praful Bidwai & Sankha Ghosh refused to buy the argument in favour of development & remained critical of the government.
As a direct aftermath of the West Bengal government's Special Economic Zone policy, in the panchayat elections of May 2008, CPI(M) and its left front allies were defeated in Nandigram and adjoining areas by the Trinamool Congress-SUCI alliance. The Trinamool Congress-SUCI alliance and the Congress wrested the Zilla Parishads from the CPI-M in three districts of the 16 districts of West Bengal out of the hands of CPI(M) after about 30 years.
ill-developed. Buses, jitney
trekkers and van rickshaws are the
primary public vehicles inside the villages.
Nearest Railway station - Mograjpur connected from Digha - Tamluk. Nearest busy bus stop - Chandipur (Math). 5-7 direct busses are available from Howrah station while other direct busses ply from Digha, Haldia, Geonkhali, Mecheda. Tekkers at half an hour interval are available from (Math) Chandipur.
Nandigram is connected by ferry with Haldia (which has been currently irregularised by Haldia Municipality). This ferry service is an important mode of transport for farmers and small traders of Nandigram, who uses this service to reach Haldia market for selling their commodities. Haldia Municipality runs this ferry service.
Within the village, houses are not very close to each other so one has to walk for many a mile as van rikshaws are incapable of travelling on the small mud roads (aal path).
Rajaramchalk high school.Gumgarh high madrasah(Daudpur),Samsabad dhanyakhola vidyapith.Mahmmadpur high school.
Haldia subdivision
Haldia subdivision , is a subdivision of the Purba Medinipur district in the state of West Bengal, India. It consists of Haldia municipality and five community development blocks: Mahisadal, Nandigram–I, Nandigram–II, Sutahata and Haldia. The five blocks contain 38 gram panchayats...
of Purba Medinipur district of the Indian state of West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
. It is located about 70 km south-west of Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
, on the south bank of the Haldi River, opposite the industrial city of Haldia
Haldia
Haldia has a typical moderate climate with winter temperatures ranging from a low of around 7 degrees Celsius to a high of 22 degrees Celsius. Winters are chilly and is when the residents hold the Haldia Utsav festival. Summers can be very hot and humid. Usual summer temperatures in May, the...
. The area falls under the Haldia Development Authority.
In 2007 the West Bengal government decided to allow Salim Group
Salim Group
The Salim Group is Indonesia's biggest conglomerate with assets including Indofood Sukses Makmur, the world's largest instant noodle producer, and Bogasari, a large flour-milling operation...
to set up a chemical hub at Nandigram under the special economic zone
Special Economic Zone
A Special Economic Zone is a geographical region that has economic and other laws that are more free-market-oriented than a country's typical or national laws...
policy. This led to resistance by the villagers resulting in clashes with the police that left 14 villagers dead, and accusations of police brutality.
Ms Firoza Bibi of All India Trinamool Congress
All India Trinamool Congress
The All India Trinamool Congress is a state political party in West Bengal. Founded in 1 January 1998, the party is led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Trinamool Congress is currently the second largest member of the ruling United Progressive Alliance coalition...
is the newly elected Member of Legislative Assembly
Member of Legislative Assembly
A Member of Legislative Assembly, or MLA, is a representative elected by the voters of an electoral district to the Legislature of a State in the Indian system of government...
from Nandigram Assembly Constituency, by-elections for which were held on Jan 05, 2009.
People of Nandigram
Although this part of Bengal has not been actively highlighted in Indian History during British period, the area had been a part of active politics from the British era. With the help of the people of Nandigram, "Tamluk" was freed from the British by Ajoy MukherjeeAjoy Mukherjee
Ajoy Mukherjee was the fourth chief minister of West Bengal, India. He hailed from Tamluk, Purba Medinipur district, West Bengal.He was one of the leaders of Tamralipta Jatiya Sarkar , which came into effect on 17 December 1942 during the Quit India Movement, a programme of civil disobedience...
, Sushil Kumar Dhara
Sushil Kumar Dhara
Sushil Kumar Dhara was a revolutionary in British India and a political leader after Indian independence in 1947....
, Satish Chandra Samanta
Satish Chandra Samanta
Satish Chandra Samanta was an Indian independence movement activist and a member of the Lok Sabha from 1952-77...
and their friends for a few days (which is the only part of modern India to be freed twice), before India gained de facto freedom in 1947.
In post Independent India, Nandigram had been a centre of learning and played a major part in the development of Haldia, a satellite town of Calcutta (Kolkata). Fresh vegetables, Rice and fish are being supplied to Haldia from Nandigram. Like Haldia, Nandigram has a natural strategic geographic location for business and farming. The Ganga (Bhagirathi) and Haldi (downstream of Kanshabati) cover the edges of Nandigram, and thereby the land is fertiled by both the rivers.
Although 60% of the area has a Muslim population, but this area has never been in the clutches of Hindu-Muslim riot. The Nandigram town is dominated by brahmins (the Tewaris, Mukherjees, Pandas).
Conflict over proposed chemical hub
Socialist Unity Centre of India
The Socialist Unity Centre of India , previously called the Socialist Unity Centre of India, is a communist party in India. The party was founded by Shibdas Ghosh in 1948.-Ideology:...
(SUCI), Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind
Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind
Jamiat Ulema-I-Hind or is one of the leading Islamic organizations in India. It was founded in 1919 by Abdul Mohasim Sajjad, Qazi Hussain Ahmed, Ahmed Saeed Dehlvi, and Abdul Bari Firangi Mehli...
and Indian National Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
cooperated to establish the Bhumi Uchhed Pratirodh Committee
Bhumi Uchhed Pratirodh Committee
Bhumi Uchhed Pratirodh Committee is an organisation in West Bengal, India, formed to oppose the set-up of a Special Economic Zone in the rural area of Nandigram. It formed an important role in resisting land-acquisitions in the following Nandigram violence...
(BUPC, 'Committee against Land Evictions'). A large number of erstwhile supporters of the ruling CPI(M) party also joined them. The apparent aim of the BUPC was to protect the farmers' lands. However the top leadership of the ruling party, determined to ride roughshod over all opposition, painted the agitation as one against industrialisation. The official propaganda carried by pro-government media talked of jobs for the large number of unemployed youths of the state of West Bengal and made claims of a boost to development in the area. According to the version propagated by the party, the region would have become an industrial belt and would have attracted further investments and jobs to the state. The main opposition party, the TMC, maintains however that they are opposed not to industrialization per se but poorly planned projects carried out with inhuman methods.
The situation came to a head when the MP from nearby Haldia took a pro-active role in the project. The Haldia Development Authority under him issued a notice for land acquisition. Several supporters of both the CPI(M) and the BUPC were violently attacked by opponents with their houses vandalised. Both sides amassed huge quantities of arms and several clashes resulted in incidents allegedly of arson, murder and rape. However, the BUPC got the upper hand owing to its commanding greater public support and allegedly supported by Maoists, did not allow police and CPI(M) cadre to enter for over 3 months by digging up roads.
When the ruling party sought to reestablish its previous domination, it mobilised the administration in the name of removing blockades and restoring "normalcy". On the night of March 14, 2007, the party's cadre allegedly bolstered by hired hardened criminals from the state and outside, conducted a joint operation with the state police. They unleashed a reign of terror, killing at least 14 people (the officially admitted number, very likely a gross underestimate), maiming many more and allegedly committing numerous infanticides and rapes. There were allegations of removal of evidence in the form of dead bodies and injured persons.
Several writers, artists, poets and academicians took a strong position against the police firing which in turn brought significant international attention.
However, there has been some division among the intelligentsia in Bengal. While Mahasweta Devi
Mahasweta Devi
Mahasweta Devi is an Indian social activist and writer.- Biography :Mahasweta Devi was born in 1926 in Dhaka, to literary parents in a Hindu Brahmin family. Her father Manish Ghatak was a well known poet and novelist of the Kallol era, who used the pseudonym Jubanashwa...
, Aparna Sen
Aparna Sen
Aparna Sen is a critically acclaimed Bengali Indian filmmaker, script writer, and actress. She is the winner of three National Film Awards and eight international film festival awards.-Biography:...
, Saonli Mitra, Suvaprasanna, Joy Goswami
Joy Goswami
Joy Goswami is an Indian poet. Goswami writes in Bangla and is widely considered as one of the most important Bengali poets of his generation.-Biography:...
, Kabir Suman, Bratya Basu
Bratya Basu
Bratya Basu is a Bengali professor, dramatist, director, actor and a politician. Basu is currently the West Bengal's minister for higher education. He was elected a MLA, from the Dum Dum constituency in 2011 Assembly Election of West Bengal.-Early life:Bratya Basu was born in Calcutta to noted...
along with noted envioronment activist Medha Patkar condemned the government; Soumitra Chatterjee
Soumitra Chatterjee
Soumitra Chatterjee or Soumitra Chattopadhyay is an iconic Bengali actor from India, known among other things for his frequent collaborations with the great Bengali film director Satyajit Ray and his constant comparison with the Bengali screen idol Uttam Kumar.-Background:Soumitra graduated from...
, Nirendranath Chakraborty, Tarun Majumdar
Tarun Majumdar
Tarun Majumdar is a renowned Bengali Indian film director who makes films in Bengali and is notable for his depiction of Bengali culture and society. Many of his films are literature-based...
defended the Chief Minister on development issue. Just after the bloodbath of Nandigram on 14 March, pro-government intellectuals have spoken in favour of the Chief Minister which includes the novelists Buddhadeb Guha
Buddhadeb Guha
Buddhadeb Guha is a popular Bengali fiction writer. He studied at the well-known St Xavier's College of the University of Calcutta....
and Debesh Roy, the litterateur Amitava Chaudhuri, the poet Mallika Sengupta, the actors Dilip Roy, Sabyasachi Chakraborty
Sabyasachi Chakraborty
Sabyasachi Chakraborty is a Bengali Indian male actor of TV and films. Sabyasachi Chakraborty is one of the most talented and prolific actors of Bengal whose acting prowess is well known all over India.-Early life:...
, and Usha Ganguly
Usha Ganguly
Usha Ganguly is an Indian theatre director-actor and activist, most known for her work in Hindi theatre in Kolkata in 1970s and 1980s. She founded Rangkarmee theatre group in 1976, known for its productions like Mahabhoj, Rudali, Court Martial, and Antaryatra. Apart from thespian Shyamanand...
, the singers Amar Pal, Shuvendu Maiti, Utpalendu Chaudhuri, and Indranil Sen, the sarod exponent Buddhadev Dasgupta, the historian Aniruddha Roy, the football luminary P K Banerjee, the noted architect Sailapati Guha, the scientist Saroj Ghosh, and the poet Nirendranath Chakravarty
Nirendranath Chakravarty
Nirendranath Chakraborty is a popular contemporary Bengali poet.-Poetry Anthology:Some of his poetry anthologies are:*Nil Nirjan*Andhokar Baranda*Prothom Nayok*Nirakto Karobi*Nakkhotro Joyer Jonno*Kolkatar Jishu*Ulongo Raja...
who presided over a gathering at Science City Auditorium, kolkata. However, noted Leftist intellectuals such as Sumit & Tanika Sarkar, Praful Bidwai & Sankha Ghosh refused to buy the argument in favour of development & remained critical of the government.
As a direct aftermath of the West Bengal government's Special Economic Zone policy, in the panchayat elections of May 2008, CPI(M) and its left front allies were defeated in Nandigram and adjoining areas by the Trinamool Congress-SUCI alliance. The Trinamool Congress-SUCI alliance and the Congress wrested the Zilla Parishads from the CPI-M in three districts of the 16 districts of West Bengal out of the hands of CPI(M) after about 30 years.
Health
In March 2001, Nandigram II Block of Medinipur District claimed to have achieved full toilet coverage in the entire block.Transport
There is no rail connection directly to Nandigram, and road ways areill-developed. Buses, jitney
Jitney
Jitney may refer to:* Jitney , written by August Wilson* Atlantic City Jitney Association, an association of operators of minibus service in Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA* an archaic name for a nickel...
trekkers and van rickshaws are the
primary public vehicles inside the villages.
Nearest Railway station - Mograjpur connected from Digha - Tamluk. Nearest busy bus stop - Chandipur (Math). 5-7 direct busses are available from Howrah station while other direct busses ply from Digha, Haldia, Geonkhali, Mecheda. Tekkers at half an hour interval are available from (Math) Chandipur.
Nandigram is connected by ferry with Haldia (which has been currently irregularised by Haldia Municipality). This ferry service is an important mode of transport for farmers and small traders of Nandigram, who uses this service to reach Haldia market for selling their commodities. Haldia Municipality runs this ferry service.
Within the village, houses are not very close to each other so one has to walk for many a mile as van rikshaws are incapable of travelling on the small mud roads (aal path).
Education
The area has a college - Nandigram College affiliated to Vidyasagar University, and there are several schools namely - Nandigram BMT Siksha Niketan, Nandigram Girls' High School, Asadtala Binod Bidyapith Banamali Sikshaniketan, Ryapara Girls' High School, Khodam Bari Higher Secondary School, Hanschara High School, Muradpur Sikshaniketan, Nandigram Sitananda College, Samsadad Dhanyakhola Vidyapith.See also
- Accumulation by dispossessionAccumulation by dispossessionAccumulation by dispossession is a concept presented by the Marxist geographer David Harvey, which defines the neoliberal capitalist policies in many western nations, from the 1970s and to the present day, as resulting in a centralization of wealth and power in the hands of a few by dispossessing...
- Primitive accumulation of capitalPrimitive accumulation of capitalIn Marxist economics and preceding theories, the problem of primitive accumulation of capital concerns the origin of capital, and therefore of how class distinctions between possessors and non-possessors came to be.Adam Smith's account of primitive-original accumulation depicted a peaceful...
- Common landCommon landCommon land is land owned collectively or by one person, but over which other people have certain traditional rights, such as to allow their livestock to graze upon it, to collect firewood, or to cut turf for fuel...
Rajaramchalk high school.Gumgarh high madrasah(Daudpur),Samsabad dhanyakhola vidyapith.Mahmmadpur high school.