Gede, July 1: After Nandigram and Purushottampur, land-acquisition fury has spread to a Nadia village.

About 60 farmers from Gede, close to the Bangladesh border and about 150km from Calcutta, are opposing the takeover of 11 acres for the expansion of a railway station. The project is for the proposed Calcutta-Dhaka rail link.

The railway has staked claim to the land, citing records dating back to 1871. But at least 11 villagers said they had documents to prove the land belonged to them.

Three days ago — after the railway issued eviction notices — the farmers armed with sickles prevented a team of the Central Public Works Department from erecting a fence around the land. The villagers, who are demanding compensation, threatened violent protests, forcing the CPWD officials to leave.

The CPWD informed Nadia district magistrate Onkar Singh Meena, who ordered a probe.

Senior railway officers led by Sealdah divisional manager Swapan Mondal visited Gede the next day and spoke to the agitating farmers.

The rail officials dismissed the farmers’ claim that the land belonged to them. “If there is any such record, it is illegal,” one of them said.

According to the officials, the train to Dhaka will enter India through Gede, so the expansion of the station is important. “We will have to create more loop lines and car sheds. Immigration posts, offices of security agencies and eateries will also have to be constructed. The land is important to us,” said an official.

The DM expressed hope that the dispute would “sorted out across the table”.

“We have decided to arrange a meeting between the administration and the farmers shortly…. We are verifying the claims of the villagers,” he said.

The CPM-led panchayat has lent support to the Gede farmers, unlike in East Midnapore’s Nandigram and Burdwan’s Purushottampur, where the party is pushing for land acquisition.

“These villagers have been farming the land for years. They will not pose any threat if they are given adequate compensation,” said Pradip Biswas, the panchayat head.