BJP's 12-hour shutdown partially affects life in West Bengal

KOLKATA: Daily life was partially affected in West Bengal on Wednesday due to a 12-hour shutdown called by the BJP, protesting the police action against demonstrators during a march to the state secretariat.

Rail and road blockades at several places in the state since the early morning affected public transport services, inconveniencing people.

In state capital Kolkata, the usual weekday flurry was missing with a lesser number of buses, auto-rickshaws and taxis plying. Private vehicles were also significantly less, even as markets and shops remained open as usual.

Schools and colleges were open, though the number of students was lesser. In many private offices, attendance was low with employees asked to work from home. However, attendance was as usual in government offices.

BJP workers demonstrated at several places in the city, including Sealdah, Shyambazar, Burrabazar and Wipro More in the IT hub of Sector 5, and police were swift in removing them to clear the roads for traffic.

An official of the Eastern Railway said bandh supporters blocked tracks at 49 places under its jurisdiction in the state.

While the blockades were lifted at most places, it was continuing in nine stations, mostly in the Sealdah South section, he said.

BJP workers demonstrated at the Bongaon station in North 24 Parganas, Gocharan station in South 24 Parganas, and the Murshidabad station in support of the bandh. Tension was palpable at the Barrackpore station in North 24 Parganas as BJP supporters and TMC workers came face to face.

Picketing by BJP supporters on the roads led to disruption of public transport services for some time in Cooch Behar, Alipurduar, Siliguri and Malda in northern West Bengal, and in Purulia, Bankura and some other places in the southern part of the state.

Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari led a protest march in Nandigram in Purba Medinipur, his home district.

In Malda, activists of the TMC and BJP engaged in a brawl over the blocking of a road. Police intervened to disperse the two groups.

In Alipurduar, BJP activists engaged in a scuffle with the police as they tried to block an arterial road, shouting slogans such as 'dafa ek dabi ek, mukhyomantrir padatyag' (one-point demand, chief minister's resignation).

The 'Bangla Bandh', which began at 6 am, was called by the BJP in protest against police action on participants of 'Nabanna Abhijan' on Tuesday.

The march to state secretariat Nabanna in Howrah was organised by the newly-formed students' group Chatra Samaj, demanding the resignation of CM Mamata Banerjee over the rape and murder of the doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.