The BJP had made elaborate arrangements to ensure maximum gathering of its party workers and supporters.
Kolkata: In yet another confrontation between ruling TMC and BJP on Tuesday, the latter organised a massive rally ‘Nabanna Cholo’ in Kolkata where its party workers and supporters marched towards secretariat. The police, however, stopped the protesters from proceeding the march and detained several senior leaders. Amid calls to move towards the secretariat, Police use water cannons and tear gas shells to stop and disperse BJP workers in Santragachhi area of Howrah. A police vehicle was also set on fire.
State BJP chief Sukanta Majumdar was arrested amid BJP’s ‘Nabanna Chalo’ protest against the state government in Kolkata. Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, BJP MP Locket Chatterjee and party leader Rahul Sinha were also detained and taken away in a van.
Party leaders said that they were forced to stop by police at the Second Hooghly Bridge near the secretariat. BJP supporters had thronged from across Kolkata and neighboring Howrah in the morning to join BJP’s ‘Nabanna Abhijan’ to protest against alleged ‘corrupt practices’ of the TMC government.
Since the local administration had denied permission to hold the rally, party leaders had said that there was no need for permission to march to the secretariat.
Since the protest escalated, police lathi-charge the supporters and used water cannons on them. As per the report, BJP national vice-president Dilip Ghosh was assigned to lead the protest from north Kolkata and LoP Suvendu Adhikari to lead the rally from Santragachi area. The olice, however, took him to Adhikari in a police van.
Suvendu Adhikari, in a tweet, said, “Mamata Police is on a war footing, trying to crush a democratic political event. The barricade of steel raised at Santragachi symbolizes her anxiety & timidity. Remember this @MamataOfficial, no wall can stand up to the ‘wave of democracy’, it would be breached sooner than later.”
Sharing a video, he said, “Glimpses of @WBPolice atrocities. They are trampling upon the Fundamental Rights of citizens ensured by Article 19 of The Constitution Of India: # to assemble peaceably # to move freely throughout the territory of India People are resisting spontaneously.”
