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The Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) 12-hour 'Bengal Bandh' on Wednesday, called to protest against alleged police atrocities and the recent rape and murder of a medical student, resulted in widespread violence and disruptions across the state. The bandh, which aimed to paralyze West Bengal, saw clashes between BJP supporters and police, leading to injuries, arrests, and significant disruptions to train services.
The day began with reports of violence in Bhatpara, North 24 Parganas district, where BJP leader Priyanku Pande and his driver were reportedly shot at while on their way to a bandh-related event. Pande escaped with minor injuries, while his driver sustained bullet wounds and was hospitalized. BJP leaders accused Trinamool Congress leader Somnath Shyam of being behind the attack, but these allegations remain unverified.
As the bandh progressed, BJP supporters took to the streets, blocking railway tracks at various locations across the state, leading to significant disruptions to train services. The suburban train services in both the Howrah and Sealdah divisions were heavily affected, with local trains stalled for extended periods. The blockades, reported in districts like South 24 Parganas, Hooghly, Murshidabad, Nadia, and North 24 Parganas, caused widespread inconvenience to commuters.
In addition to the railway blockades, BJP workers clashed with police in several areas, attempting to enforce the bandh by forcing shops to shut down. BJP councilor Sajal Ghosh was arrested after a scuffle with police in the Sealdah area, while BJP State President Sukanta Majumdar and former MP Debasree Chaudhuri faced police intervention during their protests in Baguihati. These incidents highlight the tension between the ruling Trinamool Congress and the opposition BJP, further exacerbating the already tense political climate in the state.
The ‘Nabanna Abhijan’ (March to Bengal Secretariat) rally, held earlier on Tuesday, served as the catalyst for the bandh. The rally, organized by students, was intended to protest the rape and murder of a PGT Medical student at the state-run R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital in Kolkata and demand the resignation of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The rally itself saw clashes between protesters and police, resulting in injuries on both sides, including Kolkata Police Traffic Surgeon Debasish Chakraborty, who was injured during stone-throwing incidents.
The violence and disruptions during the bandh underscore the deep political divisions in West Bengal, with both the ruling Trinamool Congress and the opposition BJP employing aggressive tactics to advance their agendas. While the BJP claims the bandh was a response to police brutality and the rape of a medical student, the Trinamool Congress sees it as an attempt to disrupt the state's functioning and destabilize the government. The events of the bandh are likely to fuel further political tensions and potentially lead to escalated confrontations in the near future.
Source: Violence erupts during BJP's 12-hour Bengal Bandh, train services disrupted