•So it’s no surprise that the top rung of the Bhoomi Uchched Pratirodh Committee (Save Land Committee) — the umbrella group that began the agitation against the CPM — is Muslim: the chief is Abu Sufiyan, a former CPM panchayat leader who the party claims was expelled because of alleged financial irregularities. Sufiyan. however claims, he fell out of favour because he “refused to carry out illegal orders.”

•Working president of the BUPC is Abdus Samad who owes his allegiance to the Congress. Helping Sufiyan and Samad are Abu Taher of the Trinamool Congress, Ashrafultullah who is the Treasurer and executive committee member Sayum Kazi.

•Muslims make up a significant section of the villages in Nandigram’s Block 1 — the core of the agitation — which include Muhammadpur, Kendamarichar, Jalpai, Samsabad, Daudpur, Kalicharanpur, Garchakrebaria and Satengabad-Ranichawk.

•Admits Block Development Officer Ashok Sarkar: “In most of these villages, a large number of houses damaged belong to Muslims. They were from both sides but obviously those under the BPUC banner have suffered more.” One estimate, according to Samad, is that in the latest cycle of violence, 500 houses belonging to Muslims have either been burnt or damaged.

While the CPM may see in these facts nothing more than mere coincidence, several powerful, influential voices from the Muslim community — and the Opposition — are now speaking up.

Says pro-CPM Salman Kurshid, secretary, Muslim Institute, a highly respected organisation of Muslim intellectuals: “Muslims in the state are thoroughly frustrated at what happened in Nandigram. The High Court has also called it (the March 14 firing) unconstitutional. It was just like in Gujarat where Narendra Modi gave his men three days to wrap up their operation. In Nandigram, CPM cadres were let loose from November 6 to 9 when the administration collapsed. The Muslims in the state have been talking that there is no difference between BJP and the so called progressive Marxists.”

... contd.