A family at the CPM’s Khejuri shelter on Wednesday. Picture by Amit Datta

Nandigram, May 2: Police today set foot in three villages for the first time since the fresh outbreak of violence on Sunday but the East Midnapore chief said the situation was spinning out of control.

“We went to Takapura, Ranichowk and Satengabari in Nandigram Block II. These are areas bordering Khejuri, where the CPM is strong, and Nandigram, where the Bhoomi Uchchhed Pratirodh Committee is in command,” a Nandigram officer said.

In the morning, both groups exchanged fire at Satengabari. “When some CPM cadres tried to move towards the village, members of the committee resisted and they had to back off,” said another officer.

The committee, led by the Trinamul Congress, ransacked a large number of houses at Takapura and shops were set on fire. Some 50 CPM supporters fled home and took shelter in the Sherkhan Chowk camp in Khejuri.

“The situation is spinning out of control as both groups are firing indiscriminately at night. We are planning to deploy more personnel in the border areas,” said G. Srinivas, the district superintendent of police.

Armed members of the committee, he added, “have been terrorising villagers”.

Three days after violence erupted, the police are planning to set up a camp in the Nandigram-Khejuri border. “The camp will help us monitor the movement of both groups,” an officer said.

“There is no administration and we are spectators to the violence. Villagers are living in fear and things are again taking a violent turn,” he added.

Cong-Mamata meet

A state Congress general secretary today attended a meeting of the Krishi Jomi Raksha Committee chaired by Mamata Banerjee and assured her the party’s presence when she goes to governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi tomorrow.

“The need of the hour is a united movement against the CPM-led government and I am happy that the Congress sent its representative (Jayanta Bhattacharya),’’ Mamata said.

The meeting decided that the governor should be apprised of the violence.