BJP supporters set fire to bus, force patient to get down from taxi

MP | Kolkata: In an attempt to create panic among people, BJP supporters allegedly set fire to a West Bengal Transport Corporation (WBTC) bus on the southbound approach road of Brabourne Road flyover. 

While resisting the BJP supporters, two police personnel, including the Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Howrah Bridge traffic guard, received multiple injuries. A BJP supporter was injured as he got trapped inside the burning bus. School students and patients were also forced to get down from different vehicles to make the bandh a success in two different cases throughout the city. 

According to the police, some miscreants boarded the bus from route C-7 (Howrah to Harimohan Ghosh College) acting as passengers, on Wednesday at around 1.40 pm. When the bus arrived near Pagaya Patty, the alleged hooligans started creating a ruckus, threatening the passengers and the bus driver. 

The panic stricken passengers deboarded the bus in a hurry. 

As the driver of the bus had also got panicked, he was not able to stop the bus in time and rammed it into a divider, before coming to a halt.

As the bus stopped, BJP supporters threw some inflammable material inside the bus and set it on fire. 

In the meantime, one of the BJP supporters somehow got trapped inside the bus, who was later identified as Sanjib Singh. Police and locals immediately joined hands to rescue Singh. 

Two fire tenders were pressed into action to douse the fire. 

At the same time, the OC of Howrah Bridge traffic guard Raj Kumar Singh and home guard of Sealdah traffic guard Bidesh Samanta got injured, while confronting the BJP supporters. 

Police later identified the two persons responsible for the incident and detained one of them. Sanjib has been admitted to the Medical College Hospital with multiple injuries. In another incident, a school bus packed with children was obstructed by BJP supporters near Ganganagar under Airport police station area on Wednesday morning. 

Sources informed that the children and teachers were forced to get down from the bus. 

The bandh supporters allegedly tried to ran- sack the bus but later stepped back after repeated requests from the teachers. Meanwhile, a patient and his family members were forced to get down from a taxi near Howrah Station. The taxi was then ransacked. 

Later, police intervened and arranged another taxi for the patient and his family. Police also dispersed the mob and secured the taxi driver as well.