Week later, normalcy in Bhangar

Kolkata: Normalcy returned to violence-hit Bhangar on Tuesday, a week after villagers clashed with police over the setting up of a power grid substation, resulting in death of two people in firing whose source has since become a mystery and the main part of police’s investigation.

Villagers, who had for the whole of past week blocked the entry of political leaders, including those of ruling Trinamul Congress, on Tuesday removed cleared the Haroa-Rajarhat road, thus putting an end to the logajm of the vehicular traffic.

The police, however, remained asbent with mayor of neighbouring Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation Sabyasachi Dutta leading what was described as a “peace initiative”. Mr Dutta is also the MLA of Rajarhat New Town.

“Majority of Bhangar’s residents are peace-loving farmers, who were misguided over the power grid by some outsiders with vested interest. They (local residents) have gradually realised their mistake,” he said.

The MLA has remained at the forefront trying to bring peace ever since the violence broke out. Besides collecting police uniforms found on the fields on January 17, Mr Dutta also sent for cranes and towaway vehicles to pull out the police vans that were thrown into ponds by the agitating villagers. He had also led a peace rally from Macchi Bhanga to Natunhat Bazar, which was attended by around 500 Trinamul Congress supporters.

On the other hand, Bhangar MLA Abdur Rezzak Mollah and party’s former MLA and panchayat samiti head Arabul Islam remained conspicuous by their absence. Mr Islam was present in the village along with his followers and later refused to comment on his party’s “peace initiative”. “Party leadership had given him strict orders to keep a low-profile,” a TMC functionary said. The “orders” to Mr Islam have their roots in the villagers’ allegations who hold him responsible for their plight, claiming the leader had “forced them to sell their land for the power grid at a low price”.

Party insiders, however, say it was MP and TMC vice-president Mukul Roy who had brokered peace with the villagers. “Mukul da had tried to visit Bhangar on the day violence broke out and then again on two separate occasions,” a leader said, adding that Mr Roy “was patient with the agitators” and eventually succeeded in placating them, which resulted in the reconciliation over the power grid.

Mr Roy will likely hold a rally in Bhangar in the first week of February where could announce the dismantling of the contentious power grid.