http://www.hindu.com/2007/07/31/stories/2007073155301400.htm


Khammam, Nandigram incidents are different: Basu

Special Correspondent

Says police firing on peaceful rally in A.P. “unwarranted”

Kolkata: The events leading to the police firing in Andhra Pradesh’s Khammam district on July 28 and at Nandigram in West Bengal’s Purbo Medinipur district on March 14 are in no way comparable, veteran Marxist leader Jyoti Basu said here on Monday. “The two incidents are totally different,” he said.

While the firing on a peaceful rally by the police at Khammam in which six persons were killed was “unwarranted”, the police were “forced into opening fire” at a mob at Nandigram according to an official report, Mr. Basu said.

His statement comes a day after Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee accused the CPI(M) of “double standards” by condemning the firing at Khammam while justifying that at Nandigram.

Ms. Banerjee observed that the response of the governments of Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal to incidents of police firing in the two States was different.

“While we condemn the death of six CPI(M) supporters in the police firing at Khamman, we see that the Government there has announced compensation for the bereaved families, ordered a judicial inquiry into the firing and assured punishment to the culprits. In contrast, the West Bengal Government has done none of these,” Ms. Banerjee said.