Updated: October 8, 2020 2:09:11 pm
BJP workers clash with West Bengal police in Howrah on Thursday. {Express Photo / Shashi Ghosh}
The West Bengal BJP “March to Nabanna” (secretary of state) organized by Yuva Morcha took a violent turn on Thursday after party workers threw bombs and bricks at policemen in Kolkata and the neighboring Howrah district. The police, in return, resorted to water cannons and fired tear gas projectiles, in addition to charging the workers, to disperse the crowd.
Several BJP workers, including State Vice President Raju Banerjee, were injured in the clash. Party workers also set tires on fire in protest. Leaders like Arjun Singh, Kailash Vijayvargiya, Locket Chatterjee and Mukul Roy were among those present at the venue.
With a seven-point letter of demands, including the deterioration in the law and order situation, the party’s youth wing had organized a march to Nabanna from four areas today. Newly appointed BJYM president Tejasvi Surya also joined the protest at Howrah Maidan.
Police Lathicharge was protesting against BJP workers in Howrah on Thursday. {Express Photo / Shashi Ghosh}
“The police are using their force to arrest our workers who were organizing a peaceful protest. This is the situation in Mamata Banerjee Bengal, ”said BJP MP Arjun Singh.
Citing the pandemic, the West Bengal government had denied the party permission for any important gatherings and only granted permission for peaceful and democratic demonstrations within the “permissible parameters” of just 100 people.
The government also announced that Nabanna will be closed for two days from October 8 “for sanitation reasons.”
The police use water cannons to disperse the crowd.
Several barricades have been deployed in Hastings, Central Avenue, Santragachi and the Howrah Maidan area to prevent the party from holding the rally.
“The party workers threw bombs at the police and rained bricks and stones. We had to make sure that public order was maintained, ”said a senior Howrah police officer.
According to sources, some weapons were seized from one of the protesters in the Howrah Maidan area.
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