In the debris of the ransacked house of a local CPI(M) leader, who’s also the panchayat pradhan of Kalagachia, Durga Das, a daily wager, spotted his NREGA job card. In the past, Durga Das had approached the CPI(M) leader, Subrata Kar, on several occasions for a job under the 100-day employment scheme, but was told that since he did not have a job card, he wasn’t eligible for work under the NREGA. Now, after arms and ammunition were seized from the cowshed of Kar’s house here and the building looted, Durga Das and 19 others found their job cards from the trash.

This wasn’t an isolated case. Among the half-burnt documents lying at the CPI(M) branch office in Gholabari, was found an Employment Assurance Scheme family card issued in the name of S K Mahasin. And in the debris of Kalagachia local committee office there was also a file that made it clear that the local committee and district administration were hand in glove regarding the appointment of 350 Integrated Child Development Scheme workers in Khejuri block-I.

These half-burnt documents largely explained the anger of the villagers that erupted on Monday, when they destroyed local CPI(M) establishments. The main targets were party offices and the houses of panchayat office-bearers. Most of the panchayat pradhans were either arrested for possessing arms illegally or fled fearing public fury.

While the Trinamool Congress claimed that the Khejuri incident was in protest against Nandigram violence, villagers said they resented the large-scale corruption of panchayat members. On Thursday, after the panchayat pradhan of Haludbari left his home, villagers found two guns and two pistols from his residence. Pranabesh Pradhan, the panchayat pradhan, owned the best house in the village. Villagers said they knew that he was a corrupt man, but did not protest for the fear of being booked by the police in false cases.

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