Eight supporters of the Communist Party of India-Marxist were arrested on Thursday from Tekhali Bazar in Nandigram as three companies of Central Reserve Police Force patrolled the area to maintain peace. A six-member team of the National Human Rights Commission is slated to visit the troubled area today to chalk out remedial measures.

The three men were arrested for moving around in a suspicious manner on motorcycles without licences, said Superintendent of Police (East Midnapur) Satyeshwar Panda. He added that the situation in the area remained peaceful.

An NHRC team, headed by Senior Superintendent of Police S P Singh, is visiting the area to ascertain whether there had been any lapses on the part of the local police and authorities.

The NHRC team will also chalk out remedial measures to rehabilitate those affected by the violence and suggest measures to establish peace to offset the recurrence of such incidents.

Meanwhile, district Congress secretary and Bhumi Uchhed Pratirodh Commitee member Milan Pradhan alleged that two supporters of the BUPC were beaten up by CPI-M activists on Thursday. The BUPC member said that the injured were rushed to a primary health centre at Nandigram.

The SP said he had received information about the incident and was sending the CRPF to the spot. Three companies of the CRPF are stationed at Tamluk, about 50 km from Kolkata, and they are patrolling areas of Nandigram from 11 am to 10 pm.

The CRPF personnel also recovered a large amount of arms and ammunition, including 76 detonators, from Sonachura in Nandigram on Thursday.

The arms recovered from a pond during a raid included 76 detonators, 15 rounds of ammunition, 25 kgs of explosives, some explosive devices and material for making country-made guns, CRPF DIG Alok Raj said. A map of the East Midnapore district and some Maoist literature were also recovered during the raid, he said.