West Bengal: BJP workers clash with police during march to state secretariat; pistol seized
BJP activists march towards State Secretariat Nabanna after breaking through barricades during a protest against worsening law and order in the state, in Howrah on Thursday,
Hindustan Times, Kolkata :
Hundreds of workers of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its youth wing, the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), clashed with police on Thursday afternoon when they were stopped from proceeding towards Nabanna, the state secretariat in West Bengal’s Howrah district, as it was in violation of the prohibitory orders in place.
The BJYM had organised ‘Nabanna Chalo’ (March to Nabanna) in protest against issues ranging from alleged lack of employment opportunities in Bengal to law and order problems. However, the government did not give permission for the agitation. Also, Section 144 of CrPC is imposed in and around Nabanna throughout the year.
Around 2 pm, there was chaos on the streets in parts of central Kolkata and Howrah as BJP and BJYM workers clashed with the police. They hurled brickbats; bombs also went off at two locations in Howrah district although it was not clear who hurled them. In Kolkata, police used water cannons, using a purple dye for the first time to mark the agitators, and resorted to baton charge at Howrah bridge, Hastings, Mahatma Gandhi Road, Burrabazar and Brabourne Road. A pistol was also seized from a BJP worker in Howrah.
Hundreds of workers of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its youth wing, the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), clashed with police on Thursday afternoon when they were stopped from proceeding towards Nabanna, the state secretariat in West Bengal’s Howrah district, as it was in violation of the prohibitory orders in place.
The BJYM had organised ‘Nabanna Chalo’ (March to Nabanna) in protest against issues ranging from alleged lack of employment opportunities in Bengal to law and order problems. However, the government did not give permission for the agitation. Also, Section 144 of CrPC is imposed in and around Nabanna throughout the year.
Around 2 pm, there was chaos on the streets in parts of central Kolkata and Howrah as BJP and BJYM workers clashed with the police. They hurled brickbats; bombs also went off at two locations in Howrah district although it was not clear who hurled them. In Kolkata, police used water cannons, using a purple dye for the first time to mark the agitators, and resorted to baton charge at Howrah bridge, Hastings, Mahatma Gandhi Road, Burrabazar and Brabourne Road. A pistol was also seized from a BJP worker in Howrah.
