NRIs shocked by violence at Nandigram

NRIs shocked by violence at Nandigram
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File RTI application seeking West Bengal government's response on actions taken
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Appalled by the recent spate of large scale displacement and violence in Nandigram, 74 concerned NRIs have filed a collective Right to Information application at the Indian Embassy in Washington DC regarding the Nandigram state of affairs in an effort to hold the West Bengal government accountable to Indian citizens across the world especially in the light of its total apathy to the repeated intimations of immanent violence by the BUPC from Nandigram and its failure in protecting the lives and rights of the citizens of Nandigram.

These 74 NRIs, belonging to a diverse group of academics, professionals, lawyers, activists and students, many of them volunteers and supporters of the organization - Association for India's Development, have demanded information on the number of people killed or injured in the current spate of violence since November 4; the reasons for delay in the protection of citizens and human rights activists who tried to visit the area; the number of police force deployed in the area; the actions taken by the government to restore peace, provide relief, rehabilitate the displaced villagers, and book the criminals who perpetrated the ghastly acts of violence and those who blocked the entry of media-persons and CRPF jawans in Nandigram; and the status of land-acquisition and the SEZ project in the area.

The 'recapture' of Nandigram villages by CPI(M) party cadres for political assertion is completely illegal and undemocratic. We see the RTI application as an instrument for enforcing accountability and transparency and expect that the government respond to the seriousness of its implication in this violent morass with concrete answers.

On behalf of concerned NRIs we urge the government of West Bengal to respond to the crisis in Nandigram in a democratic and just manner and make sure that people's basic constitutional and legal rights are upheld and security, peace and justice in the area restored. We also expect a prompt response to our application for information.

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Somu Kumar

Email: Somu@aidindia.org

Phone: 1-(703)728-8987 (US)