BJP's Lalbazar rally turns violent

Kolkata: The BJP’s “Lalbazar Abhijan” march to the Kolkata police’s headquarters turned violent with BJP supporters allegedly hurling bombs and torching and ransacking police vehicles in an apparent show of strength just three  days after the Left Front’s Nabanna Abhijan. A number of police personnel were injured as the BJP supporters pelted stones and the police had to fire teargas shells at Brabourne Road to disperse the agitators. As many as 141 BJP party members, including senior leaders like Kailash Vijaybargiya, Rahul Sinha, Dilip Ghosh, Rupa Ganguly and Locket Chatterjee were arrested by the police.

The day began with some BJP supporters reaching to the entrance of Lalbazar in a bid to enter the premises a few hours before the scheduled start of the programme. However, the police, who were on alert, prevented and arrested them. The BJP’s Lalbazar march was in protest against the alleged inaction against Imam Nurar Rahman Barkati of Tipu Sultan mosque, who had made anti-India comments recently. BJP had demanded his arrest.

More trouble started at around 12.30 pm when the supporters coming along Brabourne Road were stopped, following which they started throwing stones and even lobbed a bomb at the police infront of Tea Board. The police had to resort to lathicharge and fire some rounds of teargas shells and even charge water canon to quell the agitators.

Situation in Phears Lane also turned violent with BJP supporters breaking police barricade with bamboos. The police jeep of the officer in-charge of Amherst Street police station was set on fire and a number of police vehicles were also ransacked.

JCP (headquarters) Supratim Sarkar said that 20 police personnel, including women staff, were injured as the BJP resorted to pre-planned violence. “Four separate cases have been registered in four police stations like Hare Street, Burrabazar, Bowbazar and Jorasanko. A petrol bomb was thrown infront of Tea Board, the shell of which has been recovered by us,” Mr Sarkar said.

BJP leader Shamik Bhattacharjee, however, said that Trinamul Congress partymen had mingled with the police in an attempt to stop the BJP’s movement. “The police under the behest of the ruling party arrested Locket Chatterjee and Rahul Sinha while they were being treated at Medical College,” he said, claiming that more than 200 supporters have been injured.

Mr Bhattacharjee led a delegation to governor Keshari Nath Tripathi and submitted a deputation alleging police atrocity and referring to the fact that police had gone to their party office at Muralidhar Sen Lane around 2 pm and lathi charged and injured several BJP workers, who were being treated there.

Meanwhile, blaming the saffron party for the violence, Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, who is presently in New Delhi, said, “There is no violence, it is the BJP, they were the one to start violence and also the CPM. See how they have beaten police personnel, including women, and destroyed govt properties.”