Mamata warns of action as violence spreads in Bengal

Kolkata: As West Bengal saw widespread violence over protests against the new citizenship law and the NRC, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday appealed to people to use democratic means of protest and warned that action would be taken against those taking law into their hands.
“Agitate by using democratic means, but don’t take the law in your hands, don’t indulge in road or train blockade,” Banerjee said in an appeal.
The Chief Minister said none of the trouble-makers would be spared.
“We won’t tolerate if common people are made to suffer. Those who are creating disturbances, hitting the streets to take the law in their hands, none of them would be spared,” she said.
“We will take steps as per the law against those torching buses, stoning trains and destroying government property,” she warned.
The chief minister’s appeal came after violent protests against the new citizenship law (CAA) spread to more areas in the on Saturday as mobs torched buses, set afire railway property and blockaded road and rail disrupting train and vehicular movement.
Meanwhile, violent agitations continued to rock parts of West Bengal for second consecutive day on Saturday as people protesting against the amended Citizenship Act set several buses on fire and torched portions of a railway station complex, officials said.
Incidents of violence were reported from Murshidabad and North 24 Paraganas districts, and rural Howrah, police said.
Angry protestors torched around 15 buses, both public and private, and blocked traffic on the arterial Kona Expressway in Howrah that connect both NH6 (Mumbai Road) and NH2 (Delhi Road) to Kolkata, the police said. Traffic movement along the expressway came to a standstill, they said.
The National Highway 34, one of the main roads that connect north and south Bengal, was blocked in Murshidabad.
Buses were also set on fire there, the police said. Several other roads in the district were also blocked, they said. (Agencies)