Manasi Munia with her son after coming home in Sonachura for the first time since the January backlash, when the house was set on fire. Picture by Amit Datta

Nandigram, March 15: The East Midnapore administration has decided to keep police under a leash to prevent further flare-ups in Nandigram.

Officials said police action would be put on hold till the dust kicked up by yesterday’s firing settles.

“We are not thinking in terms of any fresh action at the moment. We understand that there is considerable amount of tension and we don’t want to take any steps that might aggravate it. Our main aim is now to ensure that no fresh trouble breaks out,” said district magistrate Anup Agarwal.

Yesterday, about 1,000 policemen stormed Nandigram, crossing the Talpatti canal through Tekhali and Bhangabera bridges, and divided into two groups to enter Sonachura, Gangra, Jalpai, Mondalpara, Adhikarypara and Maheshpur villages.

The bigger group — of about 600 policemen — were confronted by nearly 2,000 villagers opposed to land acquisition in Nandigram and fought a pitched battle.

The 1,000-strong force has now camped in Sonachura High School, from where they are patrolling the villages.

“In raids conducted till late last night, we have arrested 14 people and seized 22 pieces of improvised firearms. But we have stopped the raids. We have been asked to restrain ourselves until the dust settles down a little,” said a police officer in Sonachura.

However, the district administration is also mobilising additional forces from Burdwan, Bankura and south Bengal districts in case the tension escalates. About 2,000 policemen have been kept on standby in a college and two high schools in Khejuri.

“Although the situation is now under control, we don’t want to take any chances,” said N. Ramesh Babu, the deputy inspector-general of police (Midnapore range) who reviewed the situation with senior police officials at Gokulnagar this afternoon.

As the police waited and watched, hundreds of CPM workers and supporters unleashed a wave of red flags and banners as they marched back to the six villages they had to desert two months ago.

By late afternoon, nearly 700 men, women and children had announced their return by planting flags atop their homes and trees.

The CPM supporters had fled, most of them with families in tow, after January 3, when villagers owing allegiance to the Bhoomi Uchchhed Pratirodh Committee began the anti-acquisition movement.

“I still can’t forget the day when they beat to death Sankar Samata in front of my eyes that night (on January 6). They dragged me by my hair to their procession. I was so scared, I could not venture out for three days. Then they stopped me from farming my two-bigha plot,” said Santosh Patra, a farmer from Sonachura.

After being forced to participate in the movement throughout January, Patra was fined Rs 5,000.

“It was then that I decided to flee my home. I ran away with my family in the first week of February and joined others like me at the party camp in Tekhali,” he said.