Singur and Nandigram land acquisition protests

What the government did

1. 30 Nov 2006

   Section 144 / 163State government, West BengalShare

   Prohibitory orders under Section 144 CrPC were promulgated for the area under Singur police station in four successive orders that ran from 30 November 2006 to 28 January 2007.

   MoreLess · 3 sources

   On 1 December the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation began fencing the 997-acre plot for Tata Motors in the presence of a large police deployment. UNI reported that about 600 protesters gathered nearby and were stopped from advancing.

   Legal basis: Section 144, Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973

   Sources [20][22][5]

2. 4 Feb 2007

   Section 144 / 163State government, West BengalShare

   The Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Chandernagore promulgated a fifth Section 144 order for the Singur police station area, effective until midnight of 14 February 2007.

   MoreLess · 2 sources

   It prohibited meetings, rallies, processions, demonstrations and squatting, and cited a police report of damage to the fencing and attacks on police. UNI reported that on 5 February police blocked entry points to Hooghly district to stop Mamata Banerjee from holding a rally at Singur.

   Legal basis: Section 144, Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973

   Court: On 14 February 2007 the Calcutta High Court (Dipankar Datta J) quashed the order, holding that it was passed before the police report reached the magistrate and was an act of executive highhandedness that unreasonably restricted Article 19 rights. [20]

   Sources [20][6]

3. 14 Mar 2007

   FiringPolice, West BengalShare

   Police entered Nandigram, which the Bhoomi Uchhed Pratirodh Committee had blockaded since January, and fired on crowds at two places.

   MoreLess · 6 sources

   The state's account, given in the Assembly and in Parliament, was that police used tear gas and rubber bullets first and fired after stone-throwing, crude bombs and firing from the crowd. Petitioners in the High Court alleged that CPI(M) cadres accompanied the police and that no prohibitory order had been issued. The Telegraph reported that the CBI's preliminary inquiry recovered .315-bore bullets that police had not been issued, and was examining whether outsiders took part in the firing. Death and injury counts differ by source.

   • 14 killed in police firing (13 identified), said Calcutta High Court [1]
   • 162 injured, said Calcutta High Court [1]
   • 14 killed, said Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee in the Assembly on 15 March (as reproduced in the High Court judgment) [1]
   • 70-71, and 42 police personnel injured, said Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee in the Assembly on 15 March (as reproduced in the High Court judgment) [1]
   • 13, and one villager killed by a bomb he was about to throw killed in police firing, said official sources (UNI) [3]
   • 6 killed, said Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil in the Rajya Sabha on 14 March (initial telephone information) [21]
   • about 20, including 8 policemen injured, said Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil in the Rajya Sabha on 14 March (initial telephone information) [21]
   • 14 killed in firing, said National Human Rights Commission [12]
   • 300, including 52 policemen injured, said National Human Rights Commission [12]
   • 10 killed, said counsel for the petitioners (as recorded in the High Court judgment) [1]
   • 11, and 34 injured including 14 policemen killed, said The Hindu (first-day report) [38]
   • more than 20, and 200 injured killed, said Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee [38]

   Sources [1][12][21][38][3][29]

4. 15 Mar 2007

   Commission of inquiryCourtShare

   The Calcutta High Court (Nijjar CJ and P.C.

   MoreLess · 2 sources

   Ghose J), acting suo motu, directed a special team of the CBI to go to Nandigram and collect material for a report to the court, and said that the police action was prima facie wholly unconstitutional. UNI reported a seven-day deadline; the CBI filed a preliminary report on 22 March 2007. The Chief Minister told the Assembly the same day that the CBI could hold the inquiry.

   Sources [1][18]

5. 19 Mar 2007

   ConcessionState government, West BengalShare

   The District Magistrate of East Midnapore issued a notification that the state government would not acquire any land for industry in Nandigram.

   MoreLess · 4 sources

   On 15 March the Chief Minister had told the Assembly that there would be no chemical hub at Nandigram against the will of the people. The Hindu reported that copies were sent to the gram panchayats and political parties, and that the government began shifting two police camps. The NHRC recorded that the blockade continued after the notification. The government later proposed Nayachar island as another site; India Today reported in November 2007 that ecological concerns had ruled it out.

   Sources [12][41][1][31]

6. 6 Nov 2007

   OtherState government, West BengalShare

   CPI(M) supporters, with outsiders, overran the Nandigram blockade.

   MoreLess · 4 sources

   The NHRC found that the Tehkhali police outpost was withdrawn late on 6 November, which facilitated the attack, and its investigation team reported that the police approach was partisan; the Commission said that neither the CPI(M) nor the Bhoomi Uchhed Pratirodh Committee could escape a share of responsibility. On 9 November The Telegraph reported CPI(M) supporters taking more villages and police officers saying they could not enter. Casualty and displacement counts differ by source.

   • 7 killed between 6 and 12 November, said National Human Rights Commission [12]
   • 32, including 16 police personnel injured between 6 and 12 November, said National Human Rights Commission [12]
   • nearly 2,500 villagers driven out, said National Human Rights Commission [12]
   • 560 completely and 399 partially houses damaged between 6 and 12 November, said Chief Secretary of West Bengal (report cited by the NHRC) [12]
   • about 900 houses burnt, said Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee (UNI) [4]
   • at least 30 killed in Nandigram during 2007, said Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International India [11]

   Sources [12][32][11][4]

7. 11 Nov 2007

   OtherCentreShare

   The NHRC recorded that the state asked the Centre on 27 October for CRPF for three months, that the Centre replied on 5 November that it could not spare the force because of Assembly elections in other states, and that it ordered six CRPF companies on 11 November.

   MoreLess · 2 sources

   The companies entered Nandigram and began flag marches on 12 November. The Telegraph, citing Union home ministry sources, reported that the CRPF director-general told the Centre the force was let in only after CPI(M) cadres had taken the area.

   Sources [12][33]

8. 16 Nov 2007

   OtherCourtShare

   The Calcutta High Court (Nijjar CJ and P.C.

   MoreLess · 3 sources

   Ghose J) held that the police firing of 14 March was wholly unconstitutional and could not be justified under any provision of law, held Regulation 155(b) of the Police Regulations, Bengal ultra vires, directed the CBI to complete a detailed investigation within a month, and ordered compensation of Rs 5 lakh for each family of the dead, at least Rs 1 lakh for each injured person and Rs 2 lakh for each rape victim. The state appealed to the Supreme Court.

   Sources [1][2][36]

9. 3 Oct 2008

   OtherState government, West BengalShare

   After a Trinamool Congress dharna outside the Singur plant from late August 2008 demanding the return of 400 acres, Ratan Tata announced that Tata Motors would move the Nano project out of West Bengal, citing the well-being of employees and the safety of contractors and vendors.

   MoreLess · 5 sources

   He said the land had been acquired legally and the dispute was between the state government and the Trinamool Congress, and, according to a 2024 Outlook account, that Ms Banerjee had pulled the trigger. Mamata Banerjee called the decision a joint game plan of the Tatas and the CPI(M). The Supreme Court later recorded that Tata Motors wrote to the state police on 10 November 2008 that it was suspending operations, and that the plant moved to Gujarat.

   Sources [19][39][37][17][8]

10. 31 Aug 2016

    OtherCourtShare

    Supreme Court (Gopala Gowda and Arun Mishra JJ) quashed the 2006 Singur acquisition in Kedar Nath Yadav v State of West Bengal, directed return of possession to landowners within 12 weeks, and held that compensation already paid would not be recovered.

    MoreLess · 2 sources

    Recorded here as the legal outcome; it falls after the protest period.

    Sources [19][9]

Outcome

The Nandigram SEZ was dropped in March 2007 and Tata Motors left Singur in October 2008. The Trinamool government passed the Singur Land Rehabilitation and Development Act in 2011, and on 31 August 2016 the Supreme Court in Kedar Nath Yadav v State of West Bengal quashed the 2006 Singur acquisition and ordered the land returned to its owners within 12 weeks.

Background

Who governed at the start of the protest. Each action above counts for the party in power where and when it happened.

Centre government

INCUPA (Left parties supporting from outside), Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister

State government

CPI(M) in West Bengal, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, Chief Minister

Places

Singur, Nandigram, Haldia, Kolkata

Cause

Opposition to acquisition of farmland for a Tata Motors plant at Singur and for a chemical hub SEZ at Nandigram

Organisers

Trinamool Congress, Krishi Jami Raksha Committee (Singur), Bhoomi Uchhed Pratirodh Committee (Nandigram), SUCI, NAPM activists

Scale

Thousands of villagers; a 25-day hunger strike in Kolkata; blockade of five gram panchayats at Nandigram for about ten months

What they said

Words in quote marks were matched in the source. Everything else is a summary; open the source for the exact words. Each statement says whether the speaker's party was in power or in opposition at the time.

Sources

1. 1Association for Protection of Democratic Rights v State of West Bengal and Ors, 2007 (4) CHN 842Calcutta High Court via Indian Kanoon, 16 Nov 2007T2 CourtArchived 9 Dec 2008
2. 2'Wholly Unconstitutional...'Outlook, 20 Nov 2007T2 CourtArchived 12 Jan 2026
3. 3WB Governor calls Nandigram excesses an outrageUNI via Oneindia, 14 Mar 2007T5 Secondary
4. 4I was right in defending CPI(M)'s retaliation: BuddhadebUNI via Oneindia, 14 Nov 2007T5 Secondary
5. 5Singur demarcation continues amid heavy securityUNI via Oneindia, 1 Dec 2006T5 Secondary
6. 6144 CrPC reimposed in Singur after yesterday's violenceUNI via Oneindia, 5 Feb 2007T5 Secondary
7. 7Dasmunsi asks Bhattacharjee to come clean on SingurUNI via Oneindia, 3 Dec 2006T5 Secondary
8. 8When Ratan Tata's big Nano dream drowned in BengalOutlook, Snigdhendu Bhattacharya, 10 Oct 2024T5 SecondaryArchived 10 Oct 2024
9. 9Land acquired by Tata Motors in Singur, West Bengal, to be restored to the landownersSCC Online Blog, 1 Sep 2016T5 SecondaryArchived 24 Sep 2020
10. 10Statement of the Governor of West Bengal on Nandigram, 9 November 2007Mainstream Weekly, Gopalkrishna Gandhi, 8 Dec 2007T1 RecordArchived 15 Dec 2007
11. 11India: Urgent inquiry needed into Nandigram violenceHuman Rights Watch, 15 Jan 2008T5 SecondaryArchived 26 Oct 2015
12. 12Commission's order on Nandigram issueNational Human Rights Commission, 8 Feb 2008T2 Court
13. 13Buddha says no SEZ against people's wishes, welcomes HC orderUNI via Oneindia, 15 Mar 2007T5 Secondary
14. 14BJP demands dismissal of WB government on Nandigram issueUNI via Oneindia, 12 Nov 2007T5 Secondary
15. 15Mamata's condition stable after respectable retreatUNI via Oneindia, 29 Dec 2006T5 Secondary
16. 16No police to Nandigram if firing had been predicted: BhattacharjeeUNI via Oneindia, 26 Dec 2007T5 Secondary
17. 17India's cheap car plant abandonedAl Jazeera, 3 Oct 2008T5 SecondaryArchived 24 May 2025
18. 18HC orders CBI probe, Parliament adjourned for day over NandigramUNI via Oneindia, 15 Mar 2007T5 Secondary
19. 19Kedar Nath Yadav v State of West Bengal and Ors, Civil Appeal No. 8438 of 2016Supreme Court of India via Indian Kanoon, 31 Aug 2016T2 CourtArchived 17 Jul 2018
20. 20Ganesh Chakraborty and Ors v State of West Bengal and OrsCalcutta High Court via Indian Kanoon, 14 Feb 2007T2 Court
21. 21Rajya Sabha official debates, 14 March 2007: Information to the House, incident of firing in Nandigram, West Bengal (pp. 312-314)Rajya Sabha Secretariat, 14 Mar 2007T1 Record
22. 22Singur fencing beginsThe Telegraph (Kolkata), Samarpan Dutta and Uttam Dutta, 2 Dec 2006T4 ReportArchived 29 Jun 2018
23. 23End of story? Mamata set to end fast after VVIP interventionThe Tribune, Subhrangshu Gupta, 29 Dec 2006T4 ReportArchived 2 Jan 2007
24. 24Left Front to form panel on land useThe Tribune, Subhrangshu Gupta, 30 Dec 2006T4 ReportArchived 4 Jan 2007
25. 25Mamata is extremely weak: doctorsThe Hindu, 30 Dec 2006T5 SecondaryArchived 3 Jan 2007
26. 26Police clash with agitators at SingurThe Hindu, 5 Feb 2007T5 Secondary
27. 27Multi-pronged attack on Tata siteThe Telegraph (Kolkata), 5 Feb 2007T5 SecondaryArchived 6 Feb 2007
28. 28Bhattacharjee demands CBI inquiry into yesterday's incidentUNI via Oneindia, 15 Mar 2007T5 Secondary
29. 29CBI bullet hole in police storyThe Telegraph (Kolkata), Imran Ahmed Siddiqui, 20 Mar 2007T4 ReportArchived 30 Sep 2007
30. 30Mamata yields to pain, not to CPMThe Telegraph (Kolkata), Simi Kamboj, 16 Mar 2007T4 ReportArchived 7 Jan 2009
31. 31West Bengal: Why Buddha is not smilingIndia Today, Swagata Sen, 19 Nov 2007T4 ReportArchived 4 Mar 2021
32. 32CPM tears truce to shredsThe Telegraph (Kolkata), Imran Ahmed Siddiqui and Anshuman Phadikar, 10 Nov 2007T4 ReportArchived 11 Nov 2007
33. 33Not much to do now: CRPF bossThe Telegraph (Kolkata), Bhavna Vij-Aurora and Imran Ahmed Siddiqui, 13 Nov 2007T4 ReportArchived 16 Nov 2007
34. 34'Enough Is Enough' (full text of the Governor's statement)Outlook, Gopalkrishna Gandhi, 9 Nov 2007T1 RecordArchived 4 May 2025
35. 35Gandhi acted within his rights: ExpertsThe Telegraph (Kolkata), Samanwaya Rautray, 10 Nov 2007T4 ReportArchived 12 Nov 2007
36. 36W Bengal govt denies before SC excesses at NandigramUNI via Oneindia, 25 Feb 2008T5 Secondary
37. 37Finally, Tatas pack up from SingurPTI via The Tribune, 4 Oct 2008T5 SecondaryArchived 4 Oct 2008
38. 3811 killed in Nandigram police firingThe Hindu, Marcus Dam, 15 Mar 2007T4 ReportArchived 17 Mar 2007
39. 39Tatas pull out of SingurThe Hindu, Marcus Dam, 4 Oct 2008T4 ReportArchived 5 Oct 2008
40. 40Buddhadeb visits NandigramThe Hindu, Marcus Dam, 27 Dec 2007T4 ReportArchived 27 Dec 2007
41. 41Nandigram: no land acquisitionThe Hindu, Marcus Dam, 20 Mar 2007T4 ReportArchived 22 Mar 2007

Similar precedents

Faded actions are ones this precedent does not share.