Adhikari vows to reopen 2007 Nandigram violence cases, promises fresh FIRs against CPI(M) leaders

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Tuesday announced that his government would reopen cases related to alleged atrocities committed during the Left Front regime in Nandigram, promising fresh FIRs and stringent legal action against several former CPI(M) leaders nearly two decades after the violence.

Addressing a gathering at Gokulnagar on the 19th anniversary of 'Operation Suryodaya', Adhikari alleged that the investigation conducted by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) during the previous MAITC government had failed to result in a complete judicial process, leaving several accused persons unpunished.

"The CID conducted an investigation, but there was no trial. I have said that fresh FIRs will be filed and cases reopened against those responsible," Adhikari said.

He named CPI(M) leaders Abhay Ghosh of Goghat, Manoranjan Patra of Taldangra, Tapan Ghosh of Garbeta and Himanshu Das of Khejuri among those against whom action would be pursued.

𝗡𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺 𝘃𝗶𝗼𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱

Operation Suryodaya refers to the violent offensive allegedly carried out by CPI(M) cadres on November 10, 2007, to regain control of Nandigram, where the then ruling Left Front had faced sustained resistance over proposed land acquisition.

The movement was spearheaded by the Bhumi Uchhed Pratirodh Committee (BUPC), a platform of affected farmers supported by the MAITC and other political groups.

Nandigram, in Purba Medinipur district, subsequently became a major centre of the anti-land acquisition movement that contributed to the end of the Left Front's 34-year rule in West Bengal in 2011.

The November 2007 violence followed a procession organised by the BUPC from Sonachura to Maheshpur.

CPI(M) cadres were accused of carrying out attacks on supporters of the movement, particularly in settlements near the Talpati canal.

The incidents triggered widespread protests, with civil society organisations, intellectuals and political groups demonstrating against the Left Front government in Kolkata.

𝗔𝗱𝗵𝗶𝗸𝗮𝗿𝗶 𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗯𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀

Recalling the violence, Adhikari alleged that 11 people were abducted, their hands tied behind their backs, and detained at a gram panchayat office in the Baratala area.

He claimed that they were subsequently taken to Kamarda and killed at a CPI(M) party office.

Their bodies were then allegedly packed into bags and dumped in the sea, he said.

The Chief Minister further alleged that armed groups dressed in black had been brought in from outside Nandigram to carry out organised attacks against villagers.

He maintained that those responsible would face stringent legal consequences.

Adhikari said the subsequent CID investigation had resulted in former CPI(M) MP Lakshman Seth spending 181 days in jail, but argued that the judicial process remained incomplete.

He described the failure to secure justice for the victims as a longstanding grievance of families affected by the violence.

𝗟𝗲𝗳𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀' 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱

During his address, Adhikari referred to a controversial statement made by former Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee following the Nandigram violence.

Bhattacharjee had remarked, "They have been paid back by their own coin", a statement that drew widespread criticism at the time.

"Although the late chief minister was an honest person in his personal life, his party was in the wrong," Adhikari said.

He also recalled remarks attributed to senior Left leader Biman Bose, who had described the developments in Nandigram as the emergence of a "new sun".

"It was a blood-soaked sunrise," Adhikari said, referring to the violence associated with Operation Suryodaya.

The Chief Minister maintained that the events represented one of the most painful chapters in the state's political history.

𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗷𝗼𝗯𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘀

Paying tribute to those killed during the prolonged Nandigram agitation, Adhikari put the number of martyrs at 41.

He accused the previous government led by Mamata Banerjee of failing to issue death certificates to the families of missing persons.

"During Mamata Banerjee's rule, death certificates of the missing were not issued to the bereaved families," he alleged.

Adhikari also criticised Banerjee for describing Nandigram as her "second sister" during the 2021 Assembly election campaign while allegedly failing to stand beside the affected families thereafter.

He claimed that his government had addressed the issue of death certificates and provided employment to nine members of the deceased victims' families.

"My government has addressed the issue related to death certificates and gave jobs to nine members of the families of the deceased. We have provided Rs 4 lakh as compensation for the family of each victim," he said.

𝗙𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗵 𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗱

Adhikari had indicated approximately 10 days earlier that his government was considering reopening the Nandigram cases.

He reiterated that assurance at Tuesday's programme in Gokulnagar, near the site of the November 2007 violence.

The announcement signals a renewed attempt by the BJP-led state government to revisit the allegations surrounding Operation Suryodaya and pursue legal proceedings against those accused of involvement.

The proposed reopening of cases is also expected to revive political debate over the Nandigram movement, which played a decisive role in reshaping West Bengal's political landscape and bringing the Left Front's uninterrupted rule to an end in 2011.