Parts of Kolkata and adjoining Howrah resembled a battle zone on Thursday as BJP workers and supporters clashed with police, hurling stones and blocking roads with burning tyres, to protest a string of killings of its party workers.
Clashes erupted at several places during the march called by Bhartiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), the youth wing of the BJP, to Nabanna, the state secretariat, when they tore down barricades, officials said.
Police personnel in riot gear burst teargas shells, baton-charged agitators and used water cannons to disperse protesters which are still raging in the two cities.
Several BJP activists, including some senior leaders, were injured. State chief secretary informed that several police personnel were injured during the rally.
Thick plumes of smoke from discarded tyres that the protesters set ablaze to block traffic clouded the sky and streets were littered with stones. Shops and other business establishments hurriedly downed their shutters during the skirmishes.
Thousands of slogan shouting BJP workers from Kolkata and Howrah began marching towards Nabanna at around 12.30 pm.
Parts of Howrah district witnessed much of the violence where BJYM national president and Bengaluru South MP Tejaswi Surya along with state president Soumitra Khan led a march from Howrah Maidan.
They were stopped at the Mallick Gate, prompting angry BJP supporters to attack police with stones. When the protesters tried to pull down the barricades, police burst teargas shells.
Failing to quell the rampaging crowds of BJP workers, personnel of Rapid Action Force (RAF) baton-charged them, resulting in injuries to some of the protesters.
At Dankuni, the district BJP leaders and workers who were on their way to Nabanna were stopped at Dankuni toll plaza. Buses carrying BJP activists were not allowed to proceed from Dankuni toll plazas. The BJP leaders alleged that police brutally baton-charged them, injuring more than 100 BJP activists. Even women BJP activists were brutally thrashed by the district police. The BJP workers blocked the Durgapur Express highway and burnt tyres to halt vehicular traffic.The Serampore BJP zonal president Shymal Bose said, “There is a complete breakdown of law and order in the state.The democratic rights of the common people and the political parties opposing the faulty policies of TMC, are being curbed.” He alleged, “Chief minister Mamata Banerjee is misusing the police administration to torture and frame false cases against BJP workers. Many buses carrying BJP party leaders and workers towards Nabanna were stopped at Dankuni toll plaza.”
Police claimed they recovered a loaded pistol from one of the protesters when a group of BJP supporters were trying to take the procession towards Nabanna from Howrah Maidan. The person was identified as Balbinder Singh. According to police, “He was an aide to BJP MP Arjun Singh, who along with Singh and Priyanku Pandey were among the supporters for the Nabanna abhiyan.”
Police have initiated suo motu non-bailable cases against unidentified BJP supporters.
It also alleged BJP workers lobbed crude bombs at police, an accusation rejected by the saffron party as false.
Police used teargas, water cannons and batons to break up the protest at Santragachi which was led by the party’s state secretary Sayantan Basu.
The anti-riot police also used chemical-laced water cannons to disperse the violent protesters, officials said.
During the clashes, Raju Banerjee and MP Jyotirmoy Singh Mahato were injured. Banerjee was shifted to a hospital.
Similar scenes were witnessed at the third protest march led by BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya and national vice president Mukul Roy at Hastings Khidderpore crossing in Kolkata.
After BJP workers fought pitched battles with police, Vijayvargiya and Roy began a sit-in at the Hastings crossing.
“We were holding a peaceful march but police action turned it into a violent agitation. The police and TMC goons attacked us. It’s all happening because of the dictatorial attitude of Mamata Banerjee,” Vijayvargiya told reporters.
Similar chaotic scenes unfolded at the bustling Burrabazar in Kolkata where BJP state president Dilip Ghosh was leading the march. BJP national secretary Arvind Menon was injured during the scuffle.
Nearly 5,000 police and RAF personnel have been deployed in the disturbed areas.
West Bengal has seen a string of political killings in the last few months, including those of BJP workers. A local BJP leader Manish Shukla was killed at Titagarh in North 24 Parganas district a few days ago, triggering protests in several parts of the state.He was considered close to BJP strongman and Barrackpore MP Arjun Singh.
Shukla’s killing was the immediate trigger for Thursday’s protest which was called against the alleged worsening law and order situation.
The TMC government had on Wednesday declined permission for the protest march citing the Pandemic Act. It had also declared the state secretariat closed for two days from 8 October for “sanitisation”.
TMC flays BJP over bricks, bombs and pistols
The Trinamul ministers and senior party leaders reacted sharply on today’s BJP rally which turned out to be a pitched battle between the police and saffron party supporters.
Firad Hakim, state minister for urban development and municipal affairs today said, “BJP is not a political party. It is a party of hooligans and rougues. In no political rallies, the party cadres carry pistols, bombs and bricks. We carry flags and raise slogans.”
He said people of West Bengal has seen how state BJP has brought outsiders and hooligans from other states to create confusion and turmoil in the peaceful state of West Bengal.
He also said state BJP president is an outsider and had no knowledge of Trinamul’s Singur and Nandigram movements.
Bratya Basu, state minister stated, “Is BJP aware that their rented goons and outsiders caused extensive damage to public properties. Who is going to pay for the damage?”
The state PWD minister, Aroop Biswas said, “It is a preview to what Bengal will look like if the BJP comes to power. The outsiders will rule Bengal. I’m amazed to see how state BJP leaders are sidelined.”
Trinamul Congress MP, Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar today slammed the BJP stating, “Why were your party workers carrying firearms, bombs and sharp weapons?” The people of Bengal will not tolerate such violence,”.
Rule of law murdered in Bengal, says Surya
BJYM national president Tejasvi Surya on Thursday lambasted the state government over the “brutal attack” on BJP activists, during their march to the state secretariat, and said it was a “black day as rule of law was murdered” in the state.
Surya also sought an inquiry by the Union Home ministry into the blue chemical-laced water sprayed on party activists during the rally and termed it a “gross violation of human rights”.
“Today was a black day… The TMC government murdered rule of law in the state. The way our cadres and leaders were attacked and beaten up mercilessly by the police is unprecedented. Don’t we have the right to conduct a peaceful rally in the state?” he said during a press meet here.
He further asserted that he would continue to visit Bengal and hold democratic protests to ensure TMC’s defeat in the next Assembly polls.
Mamata losing people’s confidence, says BJP
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has lost people’s confidence and there is no democracy left in West Bengal, the BJP said on Thursday as it hit out at the TMC supremo over clashes between saffron party workers and police during protests in Kolkata and Howrah.
BJP president J P Nadda in a tweet said the party’s struggle to save the rich glory of Bengal will continue.
“We stand with the people of Bengal despite the brazen misuse of state power by Mamata didi. Our brave BJP Yuva Morcha karyakartas’ compelled her to close the Secretariat. This is an admission that she has lost public confidence,” Nadda said.
“There is no democracy in West Bengal. Those who protest against the government are implicated in cases or harassed by police or murdered,” senior BJP leader and Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters at the party’s headquarters here.
He condemned the “barbaric treatment” of his party workers by the state police.
“I would like to say to Mamata Banerjee and her party that if they think they can stop BJP’s progress in West Bengal by lathi-charges and atrocities by the police, I assure them, they would fail in their attempts,” Prasad said.
He asserted that Banerjee and her party are resorting to violence as they are losing political ground in the state and said that there is feedback from the ground that the BJP will form the next government in West Bengal.
“Is protest allowed in Mamata Banerjee’s reign? People who raise their voice against her party are killed. The only reason behind this is TMC losing their political ground in the state,” Prasad said.
BJP’s Nabanna rally flouts Pandemic Act, claims state government
State government today said that BJP’s march to Nabanna was not permissible as it was in violation to the Centre’s guidelines on the Pandemic Act.
State chief secretary Alapan Bandopadhyay said the saffron party had said that each of the rallies will have more than 25,000 youths and so the state government had informed that it is not permissible in the current situation. Moreover, it was also informed that Section 144 of CrPC is in force in and around Nabanna and so gatherings or rallies are not allowed in the premises of the state secretariat.
He lauded the police for showing restraint while controlling the untoward incidents though there were instigations and said that several police personnel were injured in the process.
Around 89 people were detained in Kolkata and 24 in Howrah during the agitation, he said adding that arms were recovered and many police personnel were attacked today.
Refuting the saffron party’s allegation of workers being left reportedly ill after harmful blue-coloured water was sprayed on them during the march, Bandopadhyay said it was a colour that is usually used in Holi and was only a process for identification. “It is an international practice and is used during agitations so that people can be identified post dispersal,” said Bandopadhyay.
Asked about the nature and number of arms recovered during the march, Bandopadhyay said that it was a preliminary briefing and investigations were on.