FORWARD BLOC

Forward Bloc observed martyrs day in Dinhata

 

COOCH BEHAR, Feb. 4: By organising a huge gathering in Dinhata today, the Forward Bloc tried to prove that its organisational base is still intact. Dinhata town wore a black look today with hundreds of heads and black flags. In a frantic bid the police too tried to outnumber the FB supporters. The party organised the gathering today to remember the five supporters who were killed in police firing on this day last year.

 

The five men died during a law violation programme and probably so the party held the first anniversary of the firing incident ignoring the law. They held the gathering on road in front of the SDO office in Dinhata without taking any permission from the administration. The administration too took no pains to enforce law. However, the meeting passed off peacefully and the police too heaved a sigh of relief.

 

When asked, Dinhata SDO Mr Indrajit Pal said he was not aware that the organisers might block the main gate and the main road for observing the programme. Following his order the closed main gate and the office gate were opened. He admitted that the FB sought no permission from him to hold today's programme. "I don't know whether they got it from the DM or not", he said.

 

Explaining their stand, district Forward Bloc secretary Mr Udayan Guha said they sought no permission because they took it granted that the administration would not extend it to them. "They had opened fire on our men last year and it is yet in dark who gave the permission to police to kill five of our men. Holding a meeting for some time is not a bigger crime than that", he claimed. "If ours is an illegal act, the more one can find at the DM office where corruption with NREGA fund is a regular practice", he fumed.

 

"We promised the people that Left Front government would never suppress any democratic movement with bullets but the irony is that we became the victim. From today's programme we like to alert the government not to repeat similar things in future", Mr Guha added.

 

Today, the Forward Bloc used a decorated truck as the dais and placed it in front of the main gate of the SDO office complex on the main road in Dinhata. A makeshift martyrs column was also placed there for paying floral tribute to the five martyrs. Starting from there hundreds of people sat on and along the road till end of the meeting that went on for more than an hour.

 

During his address in the gathering, Mr Guha said the judicial inquiry commission was yet to start hearing though one year has passed. "We don't know in which cold-storage they may dump the report of findings," he quipped.