Curfew lifted as Indian army patrols riot-torn city
By Bappa Majumdar
KOLKATA, India, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Shops reopened, children went back to school and a curfew was lifted in the east Indian city of Kolkata on Thursday hours after the army took to the streets to prevent further riots over the killing of villagers.
At least 50 people were injured and hundreds of children trapped in schools on Wednesday after violent protests against killings blamed on supporters of the communist-led West Bengal state government in a battle over the seizure of farm land for industry.
"We are not sure whether the curfew will be imposed again, but the situation is peaceful now," said police chief Gautam Mohan Chakraborty.
Most of the farmers caught up in the clashes around a cluster of villages in Nandigram were Muslims, and local leaders and media said Muslim groups were behind many of Wednesday's protests.
"Mostly poor Muslim farmers were at the receiving end in Nandigram, when the communists forced their way into Nandigram and people are understandably angry," said Siddiqullah Chowdhury, leader of one Muslim religious group.
The All India Minority Forum, which organised the demonstration, said protests were also aimed against West Bengal giving refuge to a controversial Bangladeshi Muslim woman author accused of criticising Islam in her books.
It was the first time in years that the army had been called in to bring peace to a major Indian city. Some analysts said it had been a big embarrassment to the state's communist rulers who have been accused of failing to stop violence by their cadres.
Protesters on Wednesday hurled stones, shattered windshields of cars and buses, burned a dozen vehicles and blocked traffic.
West Bengal's ruling communists, who shore up India's federal coalition government, lost control of Nandigram, a few hours drive from Kolkata, after trying unsuccessfully to make villagers vacate land for a chemicals complex.
This month, communist party cadres forced their way back in. At least six villagers were killed in the violence, bringing the death toll so far this year to at least 34. Several women alleged they had been raped by communist cadres.
The area became a no-go zone for the police and communist supporters for sometime.
"Unless the violence ends in Nandigram, I doubt whether we will find peace," 35-year-old Asif Rehman, who was caught up in the violence in Kolkata, said. (Writing by Alistair Scrutton; editing by Roger Crabb)
KOLKATA, India, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Shops reopened, children went back to school and a curfew was lifted in the east Indian city of Kolkata on Thursday hours after the army took to the streets to prevent further riots over the killing of villagers.
At least 50 people were injured and hundreds of children trapped in schools on Wednesday after violent protests against killings blamed on supporters of the communist-led West Bengal state government in a battle over the seizure of farm land for industry.
"We are not sure whether the curfew will be imposed again, but the situation is peaceful now," said police chief Gautam Mohan Chakraborty.
Most of the farmers caught up in the clashes around a cluster of villages in Nandigram were Muslims, and local leaders and media said Muslim groups were behind many of Wednesday's protests.
"Mostly poor Muslim farmers were at the receiving end in Nandigram, when the communists forced their way into Nandigram and people are understandably angry," said Siddiqullah Chowdhury, leader of one Muslim religious group.
The All India Minority Forum, which organised the demonstration, said protests were also aimed against West Bengal giving refuge to a controversial Bangladeshi Muslim woman author accused of criticising Islam in her books.
It was the first time in years that the army had been called in to bring peace to a major Indian city. Some analysts said it had been a big embarrassment to the state's communist rulers who have been accused of failing to stop violence by their cadres.
Protesters on Wednesday hurled stones, shattered windshields of cars and buses, burned a dozen vehicles and blocked traffic.
West Bengal's ruling communists, who shore up India's federal coalition government, lost control of Nandigram, a few hours drive from Kolkata, after trying unsuccessfully to make villagers vacate land for a chemicals complex.
This month, communist party cadres forced their way back in. At least six villagers were killed in the violence, bringing the death toll so far this year to at least 34. Several women alleged they had been raped by communist cadres.
The area became a no-go zone for the police and communist supporters for sometime.
"Unless the violence ends in Nandigram, I doubt whether we will find peace," 35-year-old Asif Rehman, who was caught up in the violence in Kolkata, said. (Writing by Alistair Scrutton; editing by Roger Crabb)
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