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Rabi Banerjee
Rabi Banerjee

WEST BENGAL

Kolkata turns war zone over CPI(M)’s massive rally

  • Leftist activists clashed with the police during a march towards the state secretariat in Kolkata | Salil Bera
  • Leftist activists clashed with the police during a march towards the state secretariat in Kolkata | Salil Bera
  • Agitators try to breach the police barrier during a march towards the state secretariat in Kolkata | Salil Bera
  • Leftist activists clashed with the police during a march towards the state secretariat in Kolkata | Salil Bera

The streets of Kolkata turned into war zones today over the police action against the left rally marching towards state secretariat, Nabanna. 

There was high drama even before the scheduled start of the march, as a number of Left Front lawmakers including legislature party leader Sujan Chakraborty reached Nabanna around noon and shouted slogans at its gate, demanding they be allowed in. Eight CPI(M) MLAs, including senior leader and long term minister during the left government, Ashok Bhattacharya, were taken into custody before they could join the rally. But they were detained and taken to the Shibpur police station.

Later, when the march to Nabanna began, with thousands of CPI(M) cadres coming towards the state secretariat from different locations, Kolkata police resorted to lathi charge and using water cannon. The CPI(M) workers also fought back and pelted stones at the policemen. Several policewomen were also injured. Politburo member and veteran leader, Biman Bose was one of the injured. Journalists were also not spared as at least 10 reporters and photographers were injured and had to be shifted to hospitals.

The agitation was to press for their 18-point charter of demand including measures to stop farmers' distress and rising unemployment in the state.

While Nabanna was virtually converted into a fortress with all entry points blocked and barricaded, and gates closed, sand bunkers, barricades and guardwalls were put up in the approach roads, many of which were closed to traffic.

Surjya Kanta Mishra, another politburo member and state secretary, said that the police has arrested the leader of the opposition illegally as they went to the secretariat to give deputation on the crisis that the farmers were facing on a regular basis.

“They went to the secretariat before our march began, but they were arrested,” Mishra said. Before the start of the rally, Mishra warned the administration if the marchers' were not allowed to proceed. "We will remain on the streets in protest. We will resist".


"Twenty of our MLAs reached the gate of Nabanna to protest against the issues of unemployment, farmers' distress and other issues. But police did not let us in. They forcefully stopped us and later put us in police vans. They are not disclosing whether we are in police custody or not," Sujan Chakraborty told IANS. "The chief minister has fled from the city. Is she not bothered about the plight of the farmers here? She has turned the state into a prison," he added. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was not in Kolkata today as she had left for Birbhum last night for an administrative meeting.

At 1 p.m., the Left workers from near and far flung districts as also the city gathered in large numbers at five points here and in Howrah – Rani Rashmoni Avenue, PTS (Race Course), Hastings, Howrah rail museum and Santragachi railway station – and tried to march to the state secretariat, but came up against stiff resistance from the heavily-armed police.

Stopped, the agitators sat on the road and demonstrated and then broke the barriers to continue the march.

Barricades came down at Mayo Road and Shibpur and other points, as some of the protestors were seen battling police and countering batons with stones and bricks.

Police, using water canons and and lobbing tear gas shells, managed to temporarily disperse the Left workers, but they soon regrouped and confronted police again, shouting "Inquilab Zindabad" and holding aloft the red flags. Some of them even snatched the sticks from baton charging police personnel, and again dismantled barricades.

Terming the police as "hooligans in uniform", CPI(M) politburo member Mohammed Salim claimed the Mamata government has turned Bengal into a police state where people's right to have a dialogue or protest has been curbed.

"Some police officers are ransacking the vehicles of our activists who participated in today's rally. Are they police or hooligans in uniform?" he asked.

Biman Bose condemned the arrest of Left Front lawmakers and demanded their "unconditional release" and accused police of committing "excesses" to thwart the march.

CPI(M) managed to bring the youth, more than a lakh in number, and workers together for the mammoth programme. It was a show of strength especially when BJP is gaining the space of opposition in Bengal.

With inputs from IANS

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Topics : #West Bengal

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