Nandigram, Aug 7: Sudarshan Pradhan couldn’t sleep last night, jolted by the sound of gunshots and bombs.

This morning, the 59-year- Sonachura widower woke up to a bomb lobbed in front of his mud-walled house. What followed was worse. “Twenty men armed with revolvers, bhojalis (daggers) and sticks barged into my house and threatened me with dire consequences if I didn’t join CPM. They took away my clock, transistor and bicycle,” said Sudarshan, a Bhoomi Uchchhed Pratirodh Committee supporter.

Sudarshan’s two sons, Bimal, 35, and Subal, 30 had fled last night. After the threat, Sudarshan left, too. He was among the 100 Sonachura pratirodh committee supporters to have fled today.

Armed CPM cadres on bikes prowled Pratirodh Committee clusters, looting and ransacking a dozen houses. Among their targets was the house of Sribas Mondal, whose kidnapping triggered the gunbattle near Chandar Pool and led, as police said, to the death of CPM leader Dulal Garudas.

“Ten people came and demanded my husband Joydeb and his brother Dhananjoy be handed over. When my father-in-law protested, they took him away on a bike,” said Jayanti, 30, Mondal’s daughter-in-law. Sribas was later found unconscious in a bush in Garupara, 8km away. Mondal’s wife Ritabala, 55, and her other daughter-in-law, Gita, 26, and their five children fled to relatives in Southkhali, 2km from Sonachura.

The fleeing villagers met inspector-general Kuldeep Singh at Sonachura Bazaar but he denied looting and firing. Furious, the villagers gheraoed Singh and other officials.