BJP cries cop ‘excesses’ : Howrah police deny nod to saffron camp’s Nabanna rally

Law enforcers across north Bengal set up barricades in front of railway stations and were checking tickets of arriving passengers

Police detain a BJP supporter at Alipurduar Junction on Monday.: Anirban Choudhury

TT Bureau   |   Calcutta/Alipurduar   |   13.09.22 : BJP Bengal unit on Monday complained of police excesses against its supporters who were on their way to Calcutta from north Bengal for Tuesday’s protest march to Nabanna.

State BJP chief Sukanta Majumdar alleged that police force of the entire state had been brought to Calcutta only to resist the march.

“Law enforcers have become Trinamul party cadres. All police personnel from across the state have been brought to Calcutta to stop us,” Majumdar told The Telegraph. “?We will carry out our programme democratically. If we are stopped, our retaliation will also be democratic.”

He complained that several BJP workers from north Bengal were prevented from boarding Calcutta-bound trains at several railway stations.The BJP has hired three trains — one each from Cooch Behar, Alipurduar and Balurghat — for workers and supporters to join the event. “As far as we know 11 of our workers have been detained from Cooch Behar district while they were boarding trains,” the Balurghat MP said.

Majumdar said law enforcers across north Bengal set up barricades in front of railway stations and were checking tickets of arriving passengers.

“I think the police are doubling as ticket checkers. But that is not their job and they are doing so illegally,” he said.

BJP sources claimed that on many state and national highways, police set up checkpoints only to ensure BJP supporters didn’t make it to Calcutta for the march.In Alipurduar, BJP leaders said more than 100 party workers were arrested from Kamakhyaguri, Samuktala Road and Alipurduar stations. Police, however, said nearly 50 persons were detained.

“There is no (police) permission for the march to Nabanna. Why should people go then? We requested them not participate in the event since it may cause law-and-order problems. We have detained nearly 50 persons,” said Y Raghuvamshi, the Alipurduar SP.

Howrah police denied permission for the march to Nabanna in a letter to the party on Saturday. The letter cited that during a similar event on October 8, 2020, by the BJP’s youth wing “there was a massive breach of peace resulting in law-and-order problems”.

Trinamul’s state secretary Kunal Ghosh refuted all allegations. According to Ghosh there was no need to create hurdles for the BJP event as there wouldn’t be much of a crowd. “I believe police intervened wherever BJP supporters were creating trouble for common passengers,” he said.BJP old-timers criticised the party for not acting on the letter of Howrah police as soon as it was received.

“They (BJP's state unit) should have moved court against the letter. The police will cite this letter to prevent our workers on Tuesday,” said Samsur Rahaman, a former state BJP office-bearer. On Tuesday, three key BJP leaders — Majumdar, Suvendu Adhikari and Dilip Ghosh — are scheduled to lead rallies from three different points to Nabanna. Majumdar will lead the rally from Howrah Maidan, the leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari will lead the rally from Santragachi railway station and the BJP’s national vice-president Dilip Ghosh will lead the rally from College Street. Permission for assembling at each of these points has been denied by the police.