We the undersigned, who have long been associated
with the Left movement in the country, feel
deeply pained and anguished by the loss of lives
and injuries suffered during the police action in
Nandigram on March 14.

Nobody belonging to the
Left would ever justify repressive action against
peasants or workers who are the basic classes of
the Left. The tragedy at Nandigram on March 14
was an entirely unanticipated, unjustified and
unfortunate turn of events, whose exact origin
and course should be established through a proper
inquiry.

The Left Front government meanwhile has
announced the removal of the police force from
Nandigram, has reiterated its policy that no land
will be acquired for industrial purposes without
the consent of the peasants and other people
concerned, has put on hold all land acquisition,
and has put a halt to the construction of SEZs
until the Central legislation on SEZs itself, to
which the Left has always been opposed, is
suitably amended. And the CPI(M), the leading
partner of the Left Front, has asked for a
judicial inquiry into the tragedy.

Under these
circumstances, and in view of the fact that the
state government has committed itself to
recompensing the families of the victims, all
efforts must be made so that tension subsides and
normalcy returns to the area, allowing the
numerous refugees, who have been driven out from
there and living in makeshift camps, to return
home. We appeal to all concerned not to let the
wounds of Nandigram become festering sores.

Amiya Kumar Bagchi, Professor, Institute of Development Studies, Kolkata.

M.K.Raina, Thetare Activist, Delhi.

Ram Rahman, Freelance Photographer, Delhi.

Malini Bhattacharya, Formerly Professor, Jadavpur University, Kolkata.

Utsa Patnaik, Professor, Center for Development
Studies and Planning, JNU, Delhi.

Javeed Alam, Formerly Professor, CIEFL, Hyderabad.

Mihir Bhattacharya, Formerly Professor, Jadavpur University, Kolkata.

Jayati Ghosh, Professor, Centre for Economic
Studies and Planning, JNU, New Delhi.

Mohan Rao, Professor, Centre for Social Medicine
and Community Health, JNU, Delhi.

Nasir Tyabji, Centre for Jawaharlal Nehru
Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi.

Meena Rajyadhyaksha, Department of Sociology, Delhi School of Economics, Delhi.

Praveen Jha, Centre for Economic Studies and Planning, JNU, Delhi.

Prabhat Patnaik, Professor, Centre for
Development Studies and Planning, JNU, Delhi.

Teesta Seetalvad, Co-editor Communalism Combat, Mumbai

D.N.Jha, Former Professor, Department of History, Delhi University, Delhi.

Ruchira Gupta, Consultant UNICEF

Released by Prabhat Patnaik

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