Golapi Mandi, whose husband and father-in-law were killed in Tuesday’s firing. Picture by Sanat Kumar Sinha

Lalgarh, Feb. 3: The CPM’s guns versus villagers’ bows and arrows — that is what the clash in Lalgarh yesterday looked like, witnesses said today.

A large number of empty cartridges of different bores were strewn on the road several hours after the clash. Police said the larger ones were used in country-made guns and the rest in revolvers.

The villagers of Khas Jangal said they were holding a rally off the road yesterday afternoon to discuss preparations for a demonstration in front of the police outpost at Ramgarh when the cortege carrying a slain CPM leader’s body rolled in.

Local resident Hareram Soren said: “We knew the police were accompanying the convoy. Since we have been boycotting the police, we decided to stop it.”

Armed with bows and arrows, around 500 villagers ran from the field and stood on the road. “We told the CPM workers we won’t allow any policeman to enter the area. An altercation started and the policemen who were in their vehicles at the rear of the convoy fired two rounds in the air. As soon as that firing took place, some CPM workers got down from their cars and opened fire at us,” said Hareram, 23.

The villagers said the CPM workers were armed with “revolvers and guns, both single and double barrel”.

Over a day after the bloodspill, the government was yet to figure out who fired at the villagers, though the police were at the scene of the clash.

“We don’t know how the incident happened and the political identity of those killed. It could be that there had been an exchange of fire during the clash. We are also not certain about whether Maoists were behind it,” home secretary Ardhendu Sen said in Calcutta. No arrests have been made.

Western range inspector-general of police Kuldiep Singh said: “We are investigating whether the shots were fired by those in the convoy or the tribals who had stopped it.”

The police boycott is affecting the probe, he added.

Villagers who had blocked the convoy said they realised they could not match their opponents when they whipped out their firepower. “We had only bows and arrows. So, we started running for the trees for cover. The shots rang out as we ran,” said Subhas Hembram, 32.

“I had almost made it to the trees when I saw Lakhi Ram fall,” he added.

The fleeing tribals did not return home, expecting the CPM supporters to come after them. “The village became deserted,” said Subhas.

Anuj Pandey, secretary of the CPM’s Binpur local committee, denied the charges. “There is no question of our workers firing. We were taking our slain leader’s body home. We wanted to avoid all confrontation and that is why we made a 25km detour.”

The People’s Committee Against Police Atrocities said it was a “pre-planned attack”.

The committee has called a 48-hour bandh in West Midnapore, Purulia and Bankura from Wednesday morning.

Another potential flashpoint was created as the CPM announced protest rallies across Purulia tomorrow and Mamata Banerjee said she was going to Lalgarh.