People's Democracy

Violence-Filled Opposition Bandh 

CALLING the bandh spontaneous, the opposition political parties and groups including the Trinamul Congress, the Pradesh Congress, the BJP, the SUCI, and the various Naxalite and Maoist groups carried on wanton violence in Bengal.

Ignoring the bandh call, the industrial belts, the tea gardens, and the docks-and-ports hummed with activity. There was no bandh on the fields of agriculture. 

Left Front chairman Biman Basu has condemned the violence and has called upon the people to be aware of the conspiracy hatched by the opposition in Bengal to create chaos and mayhem.

Some of the ‘spontaneous’ acts are described below-

In Kolkata, 12 government buses were vandalised, and the stoning of government buses left several drivers, conductors and passengers seriously injured. At least one but was set on fire in the metropolis.

In Nadia, a CPI(M) office was ransacked, and two CPI(M) workers injured. In south 24 Parganas, two state transport buses were ransacked, a jeep, and an auto-rickshaw upturned and broken up.

In Howrah, the Panchla zonal office of the CPI(M) was set on fire. Three CPI(M) workers were injured. Ambulances were vandalised, two nurses, three hospital staff, and an ambulance driver left injured. Auto-rickshaw operators’ union office was ransacked.

In north 24 Parganas, Panchayat offices were vandalised. BDO offices were attacked. State transport buses were wrecked. Government employees were beaten up, cars were vandalised.

In south Dinajpore, buses and trucks were wrecked, government offices ransacked. 

In Bankura, SDO offices were ransacked. Local shops looted for the ‘crime’ of remaining open. The Registry office was vandalised. Drivers and conductors of state buses were beaten up.

In the two Midnapores, BDO offices were attacked, and government vehicles damaged. An attempt was made to burn up the truck carrying copies of Ganashakti. Panchayat offices were attacked and ransacked. Even the office of the cooperative bank and the post office were not spared where the local Trinamul Congress MLA led the assault.

In the rest of the districts, the same picture prevailed with vandalism of offices, shops, and government property. 1100 people have been arrested by the police.