No response to BJP’s bandh call; party workers vandalise buses

MP | 28 Apr 2023 | Siliguri: Though the bandh called by the BJP barely evoked any response in Siliguri, the saffron party picketers went on a rampage, downing shutters and vandalising government buses. In the Darjeeling and Kalimpong Hills, there was no effect of the bandh. Offices functioned as normal; educational institutes remained open along with business establishments. 

Vehicles plied normally. Tea gardens functioned as usual in Darjeeling, Terai and Dooars. The BJP had called for a 12-hour bandh in the northern districts of Bengal on Friday in protest against the Kaliaganj incidents in which a girl student was allegedly murdered and a youth was allegedly shot dead. 

BJP workers along with two BJP MLAs Sankar Ghosh and Anandamoy Barman were arrested by the police in Siliguri when they and other workers allegedly vandalised a North Bengal State Transport Corporation (NBSTC) bus and forcefully tried to stop vehicles from plying. 

Akhilesh Chaturvedi, the Commissioner of Police of Siliguri Metropolitan said: “A total of 70 people have been arrested for disobeying law and order during the strike. They have vandalised government property as well.” 

Meanwhile, Sankar Ghosh, MLA of Siliguri, Anandamoy Barman MLA of Matigara-Naxalbari and the president of Siliguri Organising Committee of the BJP along with other BJP workers came out in the streets to enforcing the bandh. They tried to close the shops, and stop the vehicles from plying on the roads. 

They blocked the road at Hashmi Chowk. When they allegedly vandalised a NBSTC bus, police stopped them. Strike supporters overturned the police barricades. BJP picketers also tried to stop a train at the Siliguri Town station. 

Meanwhile, the Indian National Trinamool Trade Union (INTTUC) town block 2 took out a rally against the strike. 

Kaliaganj remained by and large peaceful on Friday with a few BJP supporters arrested for forcefully trying to impose the bandh. In Raiganj, most of the government schools remained open. 

The government offices functioned as normal. NBSTC buses were plying on all routes. Arvind Kumar Mina, District Magistrate of North Dinajpur said: “It was a normal working day in the government offices. No violence was reported from the district.” 

Though private buses were few in number, offices functioned normally in Jalpaiguri. Educational institutes also functioned normally. There were sporadic incidents where picketers tried to halt vehicular traffic along with trains. 

Umesh Ganpat Khandbahale, Superintendent of Police, Jalpaiguri stated: “There is no report of any untoward incident in the district. The situation is normal.” Government buses plied normally. 

The bandh did not have any impact on Alipurduar on Friday. District Police Superintendent Y. Raghuvamshi said, “97 bandh supporters were arrested in Alipurduar district, but there were no reports of any vandalism.” Untoward incidents were reported from Cooch Behar. 

Three buses of the North Bengal State Transport Corporation were vandalised by bandh supporters. North Bengal Development minister Udayan Guha visited Bhetaguri Area and requested general businessmen to keep their shops open. 

At that time, two young men came on a bike and threw a bomb in that area and fled. Sumita Kumar, the Superintendent of Police in Cooch Behar district, stated that 61 people were arrested. Picketers were seen forcefully trying to stop vehicles and close down shops in Malda. Nitin Singhania, DM, Malda stated: “No report of any untoward incident.” (Inputs from Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar, Cooch Behar, Raiganj and Malda) 

https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/no-response-to-bjps-bandh-call-party-workers-vandalise-buses-516767