Kolkata The 12-hour strike called by the National Democratic Alliance to protest a sharp increase in petrol prices evoked a mixed response in Kolkata and other parts of West Bengal on Thursday with rail and road blockades reported in some places.
Supporters of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which boasts a significant presence in Howrah district, blocked the historic Howrah Bridge which connects Kolkata to Howrah district. The BJP activists also blocked roads at Chapadali More in Barasat, in Bankura district, Budge Budge and some other places, police said.
There were also reports of buses being damaged by protesters in some places. However, public buses, cars, taxis, and Kolkata’s ubiquitous trams were very much in service though in smaller numbers. Police sources said there was no report of any violence in the city.
According Surojit Kar Purokayastha, additional director general (law and order), “Around 700 strike supporters, including BJP state president Rahul Sinha were arrested from different places in the state.”
Sinha, along with other BJP leaders and supporters were arrested from Coochbehar town in north Bengal, he said. There had been no marked deviation from the normal routine in the industrial belts in the state and tea gardens in north Bengal, he added.
Train services were however disrupted at several stations in the Sealdah and Howrah divisions of Eastern and South Eastern Railway, but the blockades were lifted by police, with commuters also helping restore order in some places.
Shops and other establishments remained open in most places with the exception of certain areas like Barabazar, the largest wholesale goods hub in eastern India, where the BJP has a strong presence.
The state government had made elaborate security arrangement in view of the general strike. The state government had also issued a circular warning government employees against taking leave on the day of the strike. “All state government offices will remain open and all government officers and employees should report for duty. Government employees will not be granted any leave on May 31,” chief secretary Samar Ghosh said in the circular.
The state government had earlier docked salaries of government employees who stayed away from work during a February 28 countrywide general strike called by Left-aligned trade unions.
“Attempts at forcible closure of government offices, shops, markets, educational institutions, industrial establishments, etc., should be firmly dealt with,” the circular stated, adding, “vital installations should be specially guarded”.
Speaking to reporters at Writers Building, chief minister Mamata Banerjee accused the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) of joining hands with the BJP to let unleash a campaign of vandalism during the strike. “We are also against the petrol hike, but destroying public property is not the way to protest,” she said.
“CPI-M hasn’t done anything in the last 35 years, but now there are in a hurry to get back to power at any cost. They are shameless and are willing to take the help of the party they consider as communal,” she added.
