Several police personnel and opposition Indian Secular Front (ISF) activists were injured in a clash between them as the party's protest at Esplanade area in central Kolkata turned violent, throwing traffic out of gear on Saturday afternoon.
The lone ISF MLA Nawshad Siddiqui, who was leading the protest, and around 100 supporters of the party were arrested, a senior police officer said.
The ISF was protesting at Dorina Crossing against alleged attacks on party activists by the ruling Trinamool Congress at Bhangar in South 24 Parganas district.
The activists blocked an arterial road in the heart of the city, prompting the cops to ask them to clear Jawaharlal Nehru Road and allow traffic movement.
However, the workers of the party, which was formed before the 2021 assembly election, refused to vacate the road demanding that the perpetrators behind the attacks on its activists at Bhangar be arrested first.
As the protestors started pelting the cops with stones, the police used batons and lobbed tear gas shells to disperse them, turning Esplanade area into a battlefield.