Ten-year-old Mona Mondal, who was hit by a bullet, being taken to Calcutta. Picture by Jahangir Badsa

Tamluk, Oct. 7: A 75-year-old woman sitting in her courtyard was riddled with bullets and a 10-year-old girl suffered serious injuries in Nandigram today as gunshots and blasts tore apart over a month’s peace.

Parbati Mitra, a farmer’s widow, was hit by four bullets in the chest and one in the leg at Gokulnagar near Tekhali, 175km from Calcutta.

Mona Mondal, a farmer’s daughter, was peeping through a crack in the window when a bullet hit her. She has been taken to SSKM Hospital.

A bullet also hit Sridam Paik, 48, of Khejuri, in his left leg.

“Clashes — between Bhoomi Uchchhed Pratirodh Committee and CPM supporters — have taken place at several points on the Nandigram-Khejuri border. Gunfire was exchanged and bombs were hurled. We’ve sent additional forces to the area and the situation is under control,” East Midnapore police chief G.A. Srinivas said.

Police sources said nearly 150 CPM supporters — some of them with party flags — crossed the Tekhali bridge and ran into Nandigram around 12.30pm, firing from revolvers and pipeguns and hurling bombs.

Policemen patrolling the bridge across Talpatti canal tried to stop them but then retreated to their camp.

The CPM group first took control of Tekhali Bazar. Around the same time, three other groups started firing and hurling bombs at Tulaghata, Bhangabera and Satengabari from Khejuri.

Parbati was hit at Gokulnagar, near the approach to the Tekhali bridge, around 1.30pm.

Mona’s grandmother Shephali said the girl heard the gunfire and tried to see what was going on.

Taken aback by the ferocity of the attack, the commi-ttee supporters fled initially but then struck back.

Over 10,000 people marched to Tekhali from Gokulnagar, Adhikarypara, Simulkundu, Maheshpur, Garchakraberia, Sonachura and Kalicharanpur around 3pm and surrounded the police camp in protest against “police inaction” as the exchange of fire continued in other areas.

The committee and the CPM accused each other of attacking first. “They had become desperate for not being able to hold party conferences in the villages. The CPM only held one meeting in Nandigram Bazar, yards from the police station, in mid-September,” said Abu Taher, a convener of the committee.

CPM district secretariat member Ashok Guria accused the committee of trying to “disrupt party conferences” in Nandigram. “Two schools in Khejuri had their mana- ging committee polls today. They wanted to take control of the area and attacked.”

Committee activists demolished the dais set up for a CPM local committee conference at Daudpur near Nandigram Bazar yesterday. Another dais was pulled down at Teropekha in Nandigram before a CPM meet on Tuesday.

Guria said retired schoolteacher Sudhir Samanta di-ed of a heart attack caused by the sound of bombs today.

In the last clash, on August 23, committee supporter Madhab Mondal was killed.