Normal life was paralysed and majority of people remained indoors in West Bengal on Thursday due to the strike called by the Left Front and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to protest against widespread irregularities of electoral malpractices in the recent civic polls.
The dawn-to-dusk shutdown also coincided with nation-wide transport strike by trade unions.
Amidst claims and counter claims between the parties, which supported the bandh, and ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), which opposed the bandh, sporadic incidents of violence was reported from different parts of the State.
Violence in
several places
While the rallies organised in support of the bandh were attacked at different places by those associated with the ruling party, there were also incidents of buses being vandalised in several parts of Kolkata and Howrah by those who tried to enforce the strike.
Though the State-run transport corporation had arranged for buses, roads in Kolkata wore a deserted look with very few people on roads to avail the services.
Leaders of the Left Front and the BJP, which took out rallies in different parts of the city, asserted that the strike was successful. They alleged that the ruling party was resorting to violent means to foil the shutdown.
“The people have rejected the diktat of the State government to foil the strike,” Left Front chairperson Biman Basu said. On the decision of the State Education department to hold examination of University of Calcutta and Jadavpur University Mr Basu accused the State government of jeopardising the students’ future by forcing universities to conduct exams on Thursday.
There were reports of violence in Asansol and Jamuria in Bardhaman district and Berhampore In Murshidabad district. Over 100 activists of Left parties and BJP were arrested for trying to enforce shutdown.
“People staying off the roads show their actual support to the TMC. The TMC can forcefully win the civic polls but cannot force people to foil a strike,” State BJP president Rahul Sinha said.
The TMC leadership however, claimed that life was normal and the strike had no major impact.
“People stepped out of their homes, went to home. Universities conducted exams. Life was normal today,” TMC leader and State’s Education Minister Partha Chaterjee said.
The State government had on Wednesday issued a circular directing it to compulsorily report on duty on the day of strike.
The West Bengal police and Kolkata Police had made public announcements in different parts of the State calling people not to participate in the strike.
