[Reader-list] women and men in black vigil

[bfs]

Dear Friends,

Nandigram in West Bengal is in the news from January 2007, for people's resistance to the proposed
acquisition of land for setting up a chemical hub as part of a Special Economic Zone project. Many
lives were lost in sporadic fight between the CPI(M) administration and the protestors.

On March 14th 2007,3000 strong police force entered Nandigram and shot dead 14 people. 
This police brutality on the protestors was widely condemned. Subsequent to this Nandigram 
remained a liberated zone from the local administration under the Bhumi Uchched Pratirodh 
Committee (BUPC) the antiland acquisition Forum.

However, on November 5th, five battalions (about 500) armed CPI(M) cadres attacked Nandigram
with active support from the ruling party and recaptured it from BUPC. Countless innocent people were
shot dead, women were raped, the dead and the wounded were set on fire in a nearby brick kiln.
No media or  observers were allowed into Nandigram for days by these armed CPI(M) cadres.
On 12th November, the opposition parties called an indifinite Bengal bundh to protest this terror
unleashed by the ruling party goons. On 14th November, there was a procession taken out by the civil
society activists numbering over 150,000 people. This rally was spontaneous without any 
political party's patronage.

To protest this growing state terror which also started using its own private army to silence the
aspirations of the people, Hasnath Mansoor, Geetha Menon from Stree Jagruti; Manohar from 
SICHREM and Michael Fernandes with people from CIEDS/Vimochana met at 
Cubbon Park on Sunday, decided to hold a women and men in black vigil at 
Mahatma Gandhi Statue, on November 29th at 4.45 p.m. This will be in support of many 
other actions being organised across the country against Special Economic Zone and 
will be focussing on violence. We invite women and men to join us.

End State terrorism on people
Stop forced land acquisition for Special Economic Zone

Looking forward to your participation.

Warm regards

Celine Suguna
for Women in Black
Vimochana