A VILLAGE in Nadia district witnessed barefaced brutality of the TMC regime when an armed gang of the ruling party attacked the peasants to capture a tract of land and shot dead a woman. Many others, including two women and a student suffered serious bullet injuries in the attack. The attack was organised to capture 22 bighas of agricultural land in Ghurogachhi village under Joyghata panchayat of Krishnagunge Block in Nadia district, which is being cultivated by 55 families since 1969. The land came under peasants occupation due to the land struggle in that year. In 1971, the landlords again took hold of it under President’s rule in the state. But the organised strength of the peasantry could establish their rightful occupancy again and since then they cultivated it. All are small farmers with 8 cottas of land. After the TMC came into power in 2011, this land has become a target for erstwhile landowners and promoters. The land mafia began to harass and attack villagers. The desperate bid culminated into armed attack on November 23, when a gang of nearly forty descended on the land with deadly weapons. They began to fire indiscriminately. Aparna Bag was killed on the spot. Shyamali Tarafdar, Latika Tarafdar and Rajib Mondal were seriously injured in the firing. Three others were also injured. The attack was led by local TMC leader Lanka Ghosh, who has earned notoriety as a land grabber in the area. The villagers are traditional Left supporters and CPI(M) leads the village panchayat. There were huge protests and the CPI(M) leaders rushed to the area. Demonstrations took place in front of the police station. Leader of Opposition Suryakanta Misra along with Left Front legislators visited the village. Misra addressed a public meeting there and warned that any repetition of such incident would be resisted squarely. A Left Front delegation, led by Biman Basu visited the area and went to victims’ houses. CPI(M) Central Committee member Mridul Dey, CPI state secretary Manujukumar Majumdar were among others in the delegation. Basu called upon the villagers to unite and resist such attacks. On December 2, CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Brinda Karat visited the houses of the peasants. She also addressed a public meeting at the call of the AIDWA in Krishnaganj. Karat said that the TMC has unleashed barbaric attacks on the toiling people of West Bengal. She assured that the AIDWA and the Red flag would always stand beside the peasants in their struggle to defend their lands and rights.