July 30: Two Save Farmland Committee supporters were arrested from a Singur village a day after an engineer at the Tata Motors project site was beaten up.

“We carried out raids through the night and arrested two persons in connection with the assault on the engineer. Security at the site has been stepped up,” said Hooghly superintendent of police Rajeev Mishra, who was in Singur to oversee the arrangements.

In Mumbai, Tata Motors managing director Ravi Kant was asked “how long will it continue like this?”

“As long as our patience lasts,” he said.

“Ultimately, the people of Bengal have to decide whether they want industrialisation,” Kant added.

Mana Shaw, 35, and Manoj Das, 38, have been sent to a fortnight’s jail custody.

Their local leader, Becharam Manna, said: “They have done a good job by beating up the engineer. We’ll ensure that farmers whose plots were acquired against their wishes get them back.”

Manish Khatua, an emp- loyee of Shapoorji Pallonji and Company, which is building the Nano plant, had to be hospitalised last night after being assaulted by committee activists protesting the arrest of a member on charges of theft.

Bombs had been hurled at a lodge housing workers engaged at the site on Monday. Some workers from the vendor park of the plant had fled after the blasts and threats. A few more left after last night.

On his way home to the Sunderbans, Dudhkumar Haldar, 19, said: “We are safe inside the plant. But we have to go to the market to buy items to cook our meals. We are being beaten up in the bazaars.”

Tata Motors general manager Dilip Sengupta, however, said work on the plant went on normally today.