Kolkata: Incidents of violence and arson were reported from various parts of West Bengal with buses, a police vehicle and government properties being vandalised by strikers who tried to enforce the 24-hour bandh on Wednesday.
Protesters blocked a major road in Sujapur area of Malda district, set tyres on fire, ransacked government buses and torched several vehicles, including a police van. When police tried to control the situation, they hurled stones and crude bombs. The police then baton-charged the mob, lobbed teargas shells and fired rubber bullets, officials said. In various parts of the state, railway tracks and roads were blocked, affecting normal life.
The protesters burnt tyres and blocked roads in various parts of the East Burdwan district, besides staging sit-in on railway tracks, affecting train services in the sector.
CPI(M) legislature party leader Sujan Chakraborty was detained for instigating violence, the officials said. Members of Jadavpur University students’ union also also joined the strikers and staged demonstration near their campus.
Country-made bombs were found on several roads in Barasat area of the North 24 Parganas district. Crude bombs were also found on railway tracks at some places in the district, they said.
Daily commuters and office-goers across the state had a harrowing time as the number of vehicles plying on the roads was much less than other days.
In Kolkata, government buses were plying normally but the number of private buses was less. Metro services were normal in the city and auto-rickshaws and taxis were also seen on the roads.
Slamming the Left and the Congress for trying to enforce the bandh, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that those who do not have any political existence in the state are trying to ruin its economy by pursuing “cheap politics” of strikes. She said police will take action as per law against the protesters.
Till noon, around 55 people were arrested from different parts of the city for allegedly trying to block vehicles, stall government buses or forcibly stop shopkeepers from opening their establishments, a senior officer of the Kolkata Police said.
Flight services were normal at Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport but train services were partially affected in some sectors of the Sealdah, Howrah and Kharagpur sections due to obstruction by protesters. The Trinamool Congress also took out rallies opposing the strike at some places in north Bengal.
Branches and ATMs of most of the banks in the state remained closed as employees stayed away. Contractual workers also joined the stir.
According to the All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA), some 28 lakh cheques worth over Rs 21,000 crore could not be sent for clearing. Staff of the Reserve Bank of India also joined the strike.
The All India Reserve Bank Employees Association (AIRBEA) general secretary Samir Ghosh said strike was successful. Majority of the jute mills in the state also remained shut. Life at Bengal’s IT hub Sector V was near normal, although there was partial impact in attendance in the early hours due to disruptions in transport, NASSCOM sources said.
The state government offices recorded around 95 attendance, a senior official claimed.
The strike has been called by trade unions INTUC, AITUC, HMS, CITU, AIUTUC, TUCC, SEWA, AICCTU, LPF, UTUC, along with various sectoral independent federations and associations. Their demands include a minimum pension of Rs 6,000 for everyone, minimum support price (MSP) for farmers, adequate supply of ration to people, she said, adding that the demands concern common man’s issues besides worker-centric areas. (PTI)
