Police 'facilitated attacks' in Nandigram

These are stinging observations made by a three-member NHRC team led by Commission Chairperson Rajendra Babu in its nine-page report which traced the "grave" developments that took place in the region in the past one year."The entire episode can be considered in three phases, beginning from inaction by the local police to recapturing the ground zero of the agitation by CPI cadres,According to the report, in the first phase, which began from early January to March last year, the team observed that the state police started losing control over law and order situation in the area of Nandigram."The people lost trust in the police and they feared that the police would help the state agencies to take forcible possession of their land. The villagers were instigated by different political parties to fight against the government policy,"Under the umbrella of Bhumi Ucched Pratirodh Committee , people laid a siege of over a large area covering five-gram panchayats in Nandigram Block-1 and did not allow the police and some other state agencies to enter the areas, as they seemed to have lost trust in either of them, the report said.