Following the Vedic Village incident in Rajarhat early last week and with the resort’s owner R K Modi being sent to two-day police custody, the controversy over land acquisition procedure came to the fore in Bengal, once again. Ever since the agitation over land acquisition for Tata Motors’ small car project, the Left government had stalled all such bids in the face of the resistance movement spearheaded by Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress. Finally, after becoming Union Railway Minister, Mamata vetoed and put into the backburner the proposed amendment Bill to the Land Acquisition Act of 1894.

Her point: the government should not have any role to play in the process of land acquisition and those who wish to set up industries should approach farmers directly. In mid-July, the state government, too, announced officially that industrialists would have to acquire land on their own. But weeks later, the CPM-led government is in a tight spot after the burst of violence in Rajarhat New Town, where land acquisition was underway for several projects by private players with the backing of the Left Front government.

The incident

On August 23, a clash between two groups from different villages around Rajarhat New Town area resulted in the death of a young man. While the ensuing violence was ostensibly triggered by a controversial goal in a local football match — in which one team was backed by the Vedic Village authorities — its roots clearly went deeper.

The past seven days have unfolded the ugly pitfalls of land acquisition by private players and their musclemen, who often train their guns on those who are unwilling to either part with their land or settle for the price offered. It wasn’t long before the nexus between businessmen, politicians and goons became apparent.

... contd.