Calcutta, April 13: The affidavit on Nandigram filed by the government in the high court and the FIRs lodged by police after the March 14 firing are riddled with holes.

The FIRs say commandos from the India Reserve Battalion had been deployed during the “pre-arranged programme to initiate road repairs”. Over 40 commandos were part of the contingent that fired at villagers.

But the West Bengal Police Order (No. 4) of 2005 says commandos can be deployed only for ambush, cordoning, search and combing operations and convoy protection. They can also be used to tackle extremist violence and escort criminals, insurgents and hostages and to raid hideouts and conduct special operations.

Inspector-general (law and order) Raj Kanojia denied the deployment of commandos in Nandigram altogether.

The commandos were taken to Nandigram without their platoon commandants, who stayed back in Singur, a senior police officer said. “Commandos are trained by the army and should always be accompanied by their commandants,” he added.

Copies of the FIRs — lod- ged by the Nandigram OC for the firing at Adhikarypara and by the Khejuri OC for the Bhangabera incident — are with The Telegraph.

In the affidavit, the government claimed that Police Regulations Bengal, 1943, were not violated on March 14.

According to the regulations, the use of firearms is permitted only for self-defence, to disperse lawless mobs and make an arrest in certain circumstances. The Bhangabera FIR says the police fired bullets after 52 rounds of tear-gas shells, because there was a threat to their lives.

“Teargas shells have a range of 120 yards and the use of 52 rounds shows that the crowd was a good distance away. So, there was no imminent danger to the police. The FIR is self-contradictory,” a police officer said.

Kanojia said these facts are the “subject of the executive inquiry and the CBI inquiry”.

According to the regulations, “firing should always be controlled and directed at a specific target”. The FIRs reveal that in Adhikarypara, the police fired six rounds “in all di- rections (left and right)” from SLRs at one point.

“The FIR is not a detailed document and may not have the minutest details. We’ve given a far detailed report to the court,” said Kanojia.

Even if it were a “programme to repair village roads”, the police should have taken a magistrate along. An additional superintendent ordered the Adhikarypara firing. Kanojia, however, said the magistrate was at Tekhali bridge when the firing began.

Rights probe

The human rights commission has asked the state police chief to probe the allegations of brutalities and sexual torture on women after the firing.