Even as the East Midnapore district administration denied any incident of firing at her convoy, Mamata Banerjee informed the Union Home Ministry about the firing and Union Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta called her up to enquire the details, TMC sources said.

According to reports, when Ms Banerjee was on her way to visit the families of the victims of Saturday’s clash, her convoy was fired at in Gokulnagar near the Tekhali bridge, a hot spot in Nandigram, and an empty shell of a 303 bullet used by the police, was recovered from the spot.

Agitated Mamata
An agitated Mamata got down from the car and launched a sit-in to protest the attack, alleging that it was the handiwork of CPM-harboured criminals who were camping at Khejuri.

“The attack on me is a ploy to divert the people’s attention from the ghastly murder of IT professional Rizwanur Rahman in Kolkata,” she claimed.

The bullet reportedly hit the right side of the car she was travelling in and the convoy which was being trailed by several mediapersons screeched to a halt. Ms Banerjee has called for a statewide strike on Wednesday and parent party Congress has extended support.

TMC Rajya Sabha MP Dinesh Tribedi said he called up Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil to register the party’s concern over the law and order situation which is stated to be extremely tense amidst a 12-hour shutdown called by the TMC.

Ms Banerjee, latest reports said, was persuaded by her security men to withdraw the sit-in as it would be dangerous to ensure protection after darkness and she left for Contai, about 45 km from Nandigram, where she would spend the night, reports said.

Despite Mamata’s visit, violence between the members of the Farmland Eviction Resistance Committee (FERC) and those belonging to the CPM continued unabated at Takipara, Amdabad, Jahanabad and Satengibari areas of Nandigram.

As a run-up to the violence, three people, stated to be CPM activists,  were killed while preparing a bomb near the party camp at Sherkhan Chowk in Khejuri, police said. But the CPM alleged that the FERC members hurled bombs in the camp, killing three on the spot.

Earlier, the CPM party office in Nandigram was set afire by irate FERC members in retaliation to the torching of several houses at Takipara, allegedly by the CPM men. Ashok Guria,the local CPM leader, denied involvement of his party men in the incident.

Owing to the possibility of further tension, Ms Banerjee is slated to visit Takipara on Monday.