A day after State BJP president Dilip Ghosh vowed to put on display his party’s growing “kshamata” (strength) in the region, Wednesday’s Bangla-bandh called by his party evoked partial response but triggered sporadic violence that consumed public properties including about a dozen buses some of which were torched by masked people carrying saffron flag, sources said.
Islampur the epicenter of the bandh witnessed maximum turbulence where BJP supporters clashed with the police, jammed NH 31 linking Assam with Bihar and Bengal and torched two North Bengal State Transport Corporation buses, police said adding the divided in small groups the BJP men also attacked and damaged police vehicles, tourist buses, trucks and smaller passenger vehicles.
The bandh was called to protest the death of two school students at Darbhit High School in Islampur block of North Dinajpur district. The BJP was holding the police responsible for shooting the students dead last week.
The commotion started and caught wind after the school students protested appointment of Urdu and Sanskrit teachers instead of Bengali, history and math teachers.
Train services were partially disrupted both in Eastern and South-eastern Railways. In Sealdah Division trains were blockaded at Canning, Diamond Harbour, Baruipur and Sonarpur stations causing inordinate delay. Similar incidents took place at Ichapur, Bhyabla, Barasat in North 24 Parganas and Ranaghat, Krishnagar in Nadia districts.
Trains were also blockaded in parts of Hooghly, Purulia, Midnapore and Jhargram districts and needed police intervention for the routes to be cleared.
At Jhargram a Government bus was torched and turned over, by alleged BJP supporters.
In Burrabazar area of Kolkata the passengers a bus had a providential escape when it was torched by some miscreants without notice. Somepassengers had to leap out of the window, sources said.
Notwithstanding the violence most Government offices recorded 95 per cent attendance. Schools and colleges functioned normally.
“I have reports that more than 95 per cent employees have reported for work and most of the schools and colleges are open. Private concernslike in the IT sector have also reported complete attendance,” Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who was attending a business meet at Milan inItaly said.
None who had provoked violence would be spared, Banerjee said adding the new “damagers pay” law would be invoked by the police. “I have asked the police to invoke the new law and make those who have torched the buses to pay,” she said appreciating the people for thwarting the bandh and upholding the “new work culture which is being promoted in the recent years in Bengal.”
Attacking the BJP for triggering violence to gain cheap publicity Banerjee said “they are trying to gain publicity by violence as they have no popular support. Is this right politics? I have taken part in mass movements for years, got beaten and almost lost my life. But I never indulged in such kind of politics.”
Wondering why the BJP was not concentrating on Rajasthan and Maharashtra where thousands of farmers had committed suicide, and in UP where the minorities were being lynched she said “they have failed to provide employment and solve other problems in their own States where they are destined to lose in the coming elections.”
This was why the BJP was targeting Bengal to make up for the deficit in the saffron States, she said adding the “BJP knows only to create division among people and trigger violence.” Ghosh however said the people had spontaneously responded to the bandh call and taken part in a peaceful bandh.
Meanwhile, ADG Law and Order Anuj Sharma said “except sporadic violence the bandh call evoked little response” adding about 1,600 people had been arrested for creating nuisance and “about 55 people have been arrested under specific charges.”