Testimonies from Nandigram
On March 14, 2006, about 3,000 police personnel forced their way into West Bengal's Nandigram block, injuring and killing many villagers. Villages in the block, in East Midnapur district, have been resisting the state government's plan to set up a special economic zone (sez) in the area.
The official death toll is pegged at 14, with about 70 injured, but villagers say over 100 people lost their lives in the bloodbath and several hundred were injured. Villagers say the police, reportedly backed by cpi-m cadres, called "Lakshman Vahini' after their leader Lakshman Seth, MP from East Midnapur, shot to kill. They raped and killed women, not sparing children either. They dumped bodies in the Haldi river, buried some in ditches and carted the rest away in trucks, villagers say. Many who are still missing are likely to be dead or hiding in forests.
Nandigram had been virtually cut off since January, when villagers, fearing their land would be taken to set up an sez, formed the Bhumi Uchchhed Pratirodh Committee (bupc). They dug up roads and blocked all entry points to ensure the area remained inaccessible (for similar protests against a nuclear plant, see: Protest against Haripur nuclear plant in West Bengal)
bupc, which has both Trinamul Congress and cpi-m supporters, had driven out cpi-m loyalists who refused to join the anti-land acquisition movement. About 2,000-odd cpi-m members have been living in a camp in Tekhali, outside Nandigram, officials say. It is widely believed that the state sent forces to Nandigram to regain control of the block.
Three days after the incident, following outraged public protests, pressure from Left Front allies and a veiled censure from the governor, Gopal Krishna Gandhi, chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee finally claimed responsibility, calling the incident an "error in assessment'. He said the government wouldn't acquire land in Nandigram. Bhattacharjee said he didn't expect such large-scale resistance. But senior state police officials say the government ignored an Intelligence Bureau report in January that warned of stiff resistance from 10,000-15,000 people.
The Calcutta High Court called the state action "wholly unconstitutional' and taking suo motu cognisance, ordered an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation. The agency has submitted its report, but at the time of going to press details had not been revealed.
Testimonies: People from Nandigram on the police action in the block
ASSAULT: Gopal Majhi 24, Sonachura 
I was in a procession that went to Sonachura. We stopped near Bhangabera bridge. From across the Talpati canal, a Sumo and 17 police vehicles entered. In Khejuri (cpi-m stronghold across the canal), two buses, seven-eight Sumos and four lorries were waiting. We assumed they would leave after a while and so would we. Suddenly they started saying,