Around 100 women armed with brooms and bamboo sticks from Dewanganj, a village that falls in the proposed Deocha-Pachami coal mine, on Thursday resisted a procession by Trinamul leaders in support of the project.

The protest, sources in the administration admitted, surprised the 300-odd people in the procession as it was the first such spontaneous resistance from the villagers after the state government announced a rehabilitation package and initiated a process to get consent in favour of the coal mine.

“Trinamul leaders and a group of tribal people today (Thursday) took out a procession in support of the coal mine.... The rally was brought out to counter the December 18 rally against the project by Save Democracy forum and a group of Opposition leaders from Calcutta. The sudden attack on the ruling party-led rally was unexpected. Many rallyists fled leaving their motorbikes at Dewanganj village. The situation got tense and a large police force reached the spot to take control of the situation,” said a villager.

According to the source, a group of local people, including Trinamul leaders and some prominent tribal heads, took out the procession around 2.30pm. Several banners hailing the project and criticising outsiders, who are allegedly trying to instigate the villagers, were carried by the rallyists.

“All prominent local leaders, including members of Trinamul-led Hinglo gram panchayat, were present in the procession.... The attack on the procession came as soon as it tried to enter Dewanganj village,” said the source.

Birbhum police chief Nagendra Nath Tripathi, however, said it was a procession by local tribal people and they took the permission. “A group of women tried to resist a procession by a group of tribal people at Dewanganj village. Police went to the spot and brought the situation under control.”

Trinamul leaders present in the procession said the women were from Mudipara of Dewanganj village and they attacked them without any valid reason.

“We took out a rally today to protest against external provocation by a few organisations like Save Democracy Forum. We suspect the women who launched an attack to resist our peaceful rally were instigated by outsiders. However, we would sit with the villagers and try to understand what they want,” said Kali Shankar Banerjee, Trinamul youth president in Mohammedbazar, who was present in today’s rally.

Sunil Soren, a leader of Birbhum Adivasi Gaonta, had lodged a complaint with Mohammedbazar police, accusing a group of unknown people of attacking the rally. The police have started a case.

A Dewanganj resident said most of the villagers were against the coal mine and the women protested Trinamul’s attempt to bulldoze local resistance. “We have already formed a committee to save our land and today’s incident proved how Trinamul is desperate to show its power on us. Today, women from our village were first attacked when few of them asked Trinamul leaders to ask why such a procession was arranged,” said a villager.