Singur, Aug 21: Police today baton charged a mob of about 1000 Congress workers, led by their local leader Abdul Mannan, when it tried to enter Tata Motor's small car project area here.

The workers assembled at Singur-Ratanpur crossing on NH 2 and were trying to enter the project area when police stopped them by putting up a barricade.

When the workers tried to break it, police used canes injuring at least ten of them, some seriously.

Later the workers blocked the National Highway disrupting traffic. Several long distance busses and trucks were stranded on the route.

Mr Mannan announced a total road blockade on August 24 to protest the lathicharge.

Priyobroto Bakshi, the Officer-in-Charge of Singur police station said that the meeting was not allowed in front of the Tata's project.

''Since the workers were going to do so, we charged lathi to disperse them,'' he said.

He admitted that the situation was tense but under control. No arrest has been made so far, he added.

Incidentally, the Trinamool Congress had announced a series of agitations from August 24 in Singur demanding return of "excess" land to the farmers.


UNI