Armed men bludgeoned two guards at the Tata’s Singur factory late on Monday night, seriously injuring one and leaving a deeper question mark on whether the company will at all roll out the Nano from the factory’s gates.

The assailants are yet to be traced, police officers have said, while the injured guard — Ajit Kumar — continues to remain serious in a private hospital with critical head injuried. The other, S N Sarkar, has been discharged from the Singur block hospital after treatment.

The Singur factory is guarded round-the-clock by 600 private security personnel and an equal number of policemen posted by the West Bengal government. Monday’s incident will lend credence to the Tata’s demand for a “conducive environment” in Singur, which looks remote now considering the talks between the government and the Trinamool-led protesters are still floundering.

The Tatas have already suspended work in the factory, and are quietly moving out their equipment from this facility.

Meanwhile, guards at the factory have begun to panic. One of them, Raju Kumar, who is posted at a gate, said: "We are all scared. Why are they targetting us? We have to stay on because we have families to feed."

Left Front Chairman Biman Bose was quick to point at the Trinamool for the assault. "In public they claim the agitation is peaceful satyagraha, but in practice they continue to thwart work. They don't want the state to develop. Tatas are clear on when to resume work," Bose said

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