Kolkata: Workers of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the ruling Trinamool Congress clashed at several places in West Bengal on Wednesday as a 12-hour bandh called by the saffron party disrupted normal life partially, with private vehicles and taxis remaining away from roads, private offices and educational institutions reporting low attendance and many markets and commercial establishments remaining closed. Train services were also hit in some parts of the state.
Starting 6 am, reports of scuffles between BJP and Trinamool Congress supporters kept pouring in from different districts while Calcutta High Court dismissed a petition against Bengal bandh.
Clashes took place in Kolkata's Munshi Bazaar and Nadia district, among other areas. Many saffron party leaders were detained across the state even as BJP leader Priyangu Pandey from North 24 Parganas claimed that his car was shot at and attacked with bombs by Trinamool Congress supporters.
A warning by the Mamata Banerjee government on the eve of the shutdown ensured that most government employees reported on duty as normal. The North Bengal State Transport Corporation (NBSTC) advised its bus drivers to wear helmets for safety.
Amid counter-claims by rivals on the success of the bandh, TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee said the BJP shutdown was a flop. “West Bengal does not need to learn anything from the BJP. The matter has been started by the BJP but it will be given a closure by me and the agitation will be taken up to Delhi,” he said, hitting out at the BJP for its failed attempts to politicise the Sandeshkhali issue.
His party colleague Kunal Ghosh alleged that people were not willing participating in the shutdown. Another TMC leader alleged that saffron party workers tried to force shut some educational institutions.
“The BJP is trying to spread anarchy but the situation is normal in most parts of the state,” Ghosh said.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, in a post on X, dedicated the foundation day of Trinamool Chhatra Parishad to the doctor murdered and raped at R G Kar Medical and Hospital on August 9.
Addressing students, Banerjee called the Central government arrogant and opposed the BJP bandh, questioning the reason and purpose behind it. She also called the BJP a party which is in a habit of lying and demanded the strictest punishment for the culprits in the doctor's murder.
"If I get the power, I will ensure that culprits get punished within one week," she said.
"A bandh should first be organised against PM Narendra Modi as he did not resign for incidents in Manipur," she said, soon after Trinamool student wing members took out a march in Central Kolkata’s Mayo Road to mark the Parishad’s foundation day.
In a parallel protest, agitating junior doctors, from many medical colleges including RG Kar Hospital, took out an apolitical march, starting from Shyam Bazar, demanding the sacking of city police chief Vineet Goyal and safety at workplace.
In many districts, BJP supporters were seen on the streets from the morning appealing to people to shut down their establishments. Some TMC activists tried to oppose the shutdown even as both sides were involved in minor scuffles and clashes.
The bandh has been called to protest against police action and detention of those who took part in a march to the state secretariat 'Nabbana' on Tuesday over the rape and murder of a 31-year-old doctor in Kolkata. The BJP also wrote a letter to Governor C V Ananda Bose asking him to instruct police to release students detained and arrested during protests on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, the police detained many BJP leaders and their followers across the state for allegedly disturbing public life.
BJP leader Rupa Ganguly was detained in Kolkata’s Gariahat after she urged commuters to join the Bengal bandh. “Police are behaving so badly these days, don’t they feel ashamed?” she tweeted.
In Kolkata, BJP leaders Locket Chatterjee and Rahul Sinha were detained at Shyambazar five-point crossing and RS MP Samik Bhattacharya was detained at Salt Lake.
Reports were reaching Kolkata that normal train services were affected as the bandh supporters blocked tracks in several parts of the state. In Hooghly, BJP supporters climbed a train’s locomotive and hoisted party flags on its windshield.
BJP leader Kaustav Bagchi, who went to Barrackpore station to enforce a shutdown, was forced to leave the station, sources added.
BJP leader Agnimitra Paul said her party activists were not forcing people to observe the bandh. "They are only appealing to join in the shutdown," she added.
In North 24 Parganas, BJP leader Priyangu Pandey claimed that TMC goon hurled bombs and fired 6-7 rounds of bullets on his car. Two persons were hurt in the incident, the BJP leader claimed.
TMC MP Mahu Moitra took to X to complain about the alleged high-handedness of BJP workers. “BJP goons forcefully shutting high schools today. Don’t expect more from party whose leader has mystery degree in Entire Political Science. Thank you BJP for reinforcing why Bengal shuns you,” she tweeted, along with a video showing purported BJP workers putting up a party flag on the gate of a high school in Ranaghat, Nadia.
The state government is opposed to the shutdown and it called upon the people and the government employees to maintain normal services and attend their respective offices and work places.
"We urge people not to participate in it. All steps shall be taken to ensure that normal life is unaffected,” chief advisor to the chief minister, Alapan Bandopadhyay, told a media conference on Tuesday.
Several domestic airlines have issued advisories about possible disruption in road traffic and urged them to allow themselves sufficient time to reach airports.
