Kolkata, West Bengal – In a dramatic turn of events, Kolkata police detained BJP leader Locket Chatterjee on Monday while she joined the ’12-hour Bengal Bandh’. The bandh was organised in response to the violence during Nabanna Abhijan rally. Large number of BJP supporters took part in the bandh across the state. Chaterjee along with other BJP workers was protesting at Bata Chowk in Kolkata.
Not one whit fazed by her detention, Chatterjee caught the resolute spirit of the protestors: “Nothing is going to stop this movement. The more they detain us, the more people will join. This is the people’s anger, and they are taking to the streets. The police may detain individuals but can’t detain the idea behind this protest.” She said this as she was taken away.
Meanwhile, another BJP leader, Rupa Ganguly, joined the bandh in appeal to the citizens of the state, standing united in solidarity with the cause. She said, “This protest is for justice, and demands the resignation of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.”.
The BJP called the bandh in protest over the violent clashes during the Nabanna Abhijan rally, where police used lathi charges, water cannons, and even tear gas to dispel the protesters as they were marching toward the West Bengal State Secretariat. Anticipating further chaos, the Kolkata administration turned up full security deployment of police at all key points to maintain law and order in the city. Dendup Sherpa, Additional Superintendent of Police, Uttar Dinajpur, confirmed the increased security arrangement. “The police are on high alert,” he said.
As a precautionary measure, the administration here had asked all intra-city bus drivers and conductors to wear helmets. The uncommon order was apparently to prevent any injury from possible violence during the bandh. The drivers of North Bengal State Transport Corporation (NBSTC) buses in Cooch Behar district drove their vehicles wearing helmets.
The ruling TMC had blamed the BJP for inciting violence and trying to destabilise the state. Reacting to the BJP-sponsored bandh, TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said, “The people of West Bengal have rejected this bandh. We all want justice in the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital rape-murder case, and the CBI is investigating the matter. But the BJP is trying to create anarchy. They attacked the police yesterday, and today they have called this bandh. Everything is normal in Bengal.”
The unrest continuing is over the unforgettable tragedies at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, where on August 9, a young woman trainee doctor was brutally killed and allegedly sexually assaulted. The incident has caused national outrage; protests have started not just in West Bengal but throughout the country. The investigation by the CBI is very much ongoing, and the political temperature in West Bengal is nothing short of very high, with a no-holds-barred fight between BJP and TMC to win over the public sentiments.
