BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar, LOP Suvendu Adhikari and other party leaders were detained during the party’s protest march to the West Bengal secretariat ‘Nabanna’.
BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar, LOP Suvendu Adhikari and other party leaders were detained during the party’s protest march to the West Bengal secretariat ‘Nabanna’.
Howrah and large parts of central Kolkata turned into a war zone on September 13 as clashes broke out between supporters of the BJP and the police and supporters after they tried to march to the building of the state secretariat ‘Nabanna’.
Thousands of BJP supporters had taken to the streets of Kolkata and Howrah and were trying to reach the state secretariat from different sides. BJP state president Sukant Majumdar was taken into custody and taken to Chitpur police station.
Earlier, Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari and Hooghly Lok Sabha MP Locket Chatterjee were taken into custody by the police before reaching Howrah and leading a rally of party supporters.
Violence broke out in Howrah’s Santragachi, where police fired tear gas and used water cannons to disperse BJP supporters who pelted stones at the police. The situation in Santragachi remained volatile for several hours, with police and BJP supporters fighting fiercely.
Security personnel stand guard near barricades erected to prevent BJP supporters from participating in the party’s ‘Nabanna Abhiyan’ (secretariat march) at Santragachi in Howrah district, Tuesday, September 13, 2022. photo credit: PTI
Like Santragachi, violence also took place at Howrah Maidan and Howrah Railway Station. In Kolkata, the police had to use force near Lalbazar Police Headquarters and MG Road. BJP supporters torched a police vehicle in Kolkata’s busy MG Road area.
The police, who had made elaborate arrangements to disperse the crowd, used water cannons to disperse the BJP supporters, but within minutes the saffron party’s supporters gathered again and attacked the police. pelted stones.
BJP state president Sukant Majumdar was taken into custody and taken to Chitpur police station. To avoid police action, Mr Majumdar, who spent the night at Howrah Railway Station, demonstrated at Howrah Maidan. , Elder sister [Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee] It is scary to see so many BJP supporters on the road. It’s only 30% of the people we asked to come; Many could not reach and many others have been detained by the police,” Mr Majumdar said.
The police detained several BJP supporters and some were also injured. Some policemen have received injuries in stone pelting.
Violence broke out near the BJP’s state headquarters in Murlidhar Sen Lane when a large contingent of police tried to nab BJP supporters. Several BJP MPs, including party’s national vice president Dilip Ghosh, joined the march to the state secretariat, a major show of strength by the West Bengal BJP.
Violence and tussle between BJP supporters continued for several hours after traffic was disrupted in Howrah and large parts of Kolkata at 12 noon. Vehicular movement on the Howrah Bridge connecting Howrah to Kolkata on the Hooghly river was halted for several hours in the afternoon. Commuters were seen walking on the Howrah Bridge and other parts of central Kolkata.
The BJP had marched to the state secretariat to protest the “corruption of the Trinamool Congress”, especially after the arrest of two stalwarts of the ruling party. Partha Chatterjee And Anubrata Mandal, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was not in the state secretariat and is on an administrative tour of the districts of South Bengal.