West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee took the stage on Wednesday evening to award decorations to 156 state police officers for outstanding service.

Among the beaming faces was Superintendent of Police, Malda, Satyajit Bandopadhyay — the man accused of leading his force against protesting farmers at the peak of the Nandigram protests on March 14, 2007. Fourteen had died in the firing.

At the gala police honours — the West Bengal Police Investiture Ceremony -2008 — Bandopadhyay was given the Police Prashansha Padak, given to officers with consistent performance over 15 years of service and those who have not faulted much in the eyes of law. There was a medal and Rs 10,000 for Bandopadhyay.

He said: “It is an honour to receive this medal, the first the state has bestowed on me. While I do not wish to comment on the Nandigram incident, I can say this medal has come my way for 15 years of good service.” Meanwhile, farmers in Nandigram, and particularly in Tekhali Bazar where the incident took place, filled the air with slogans, protesting the government’s decision to decorate this officer. Trinamool Congress leader in East Midnapore Sisir Adhikary said: “He is a murderer. He is one of the officers who had led the charge. His name has figured in that day’s police brutality.”

The March 14 firing, being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation at present, had been termed by the High Court “unconstitutional and illegal”. All police officers and CPM cadres involved are yet to be taken off the hook.

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