The consequence of alleged objectionable remarks earlier made by some politicians against Prophet Muhammad on Thursday reached the banks of Hooghly as members of a particular community blockaded away the busy Kona Express Way running past the high security Chief Minister’s Office towards Bombay and Delhi Roads entrapping thousands of vehicles and many more thousands of daily commuters in sweltering heat.
Onlookers across the Hooghly Bridge linking Kolkata and Howrah said the traffic jam could be more than 8 km long and was growing in length under the impact of the relentless barricade.
The blockade that started at around 12 in the noon was continuing 8 hours later notwithstanding frantic appeal by a visibly helpless Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who requested “with folded hands to the members of all communities to engage in peaceful dialogues instead of putting the society as a whole in jeopardy.”
While the blockaders ignored the Chief Minister and the plight of commuters that included patients in ambulances and travelers coming from outside Kolkata continuing to burn tyres on the road and holding a large part of Howrah and Kolkata to ransom a listless clueless Kolkata Police often credited with clearing political jams in moments waited for orders, sources said.
A similar kind of protest was witnessed many years ago during the Left Front regime when the then Government had decided to host Bangla writer Taslima Nasreen in Kolkata. The situation was promptly handled by the then Government which immediately called in the Army.
However the Chief Minister stuck to appeals asking the agitators to explore legal options even as she said, “I could have used force but I do not believe in use of force so I request all of you … the people of all religion and groups with folded hands to engage in peaceful solution instead of putting large section of your fellow citizens to hardship of this measure.”
She also asked them to protest in Delhi. She said “Go to New Delhi and protest, where there is a BJP government. Go to Gujarat and UP … in Bengal no hate speeches are allowed.”
She further said: “I call upon you to take explore measures and go to the police stations and file FIRs … I am sure the police will take appropriate action there will be no issue and the culprits will be brought to book for their misdemeanor … but this is no way to show your disgust.”
The Bengal Imam Association too condemned the road blockade saying “putting the fellow citizens and the society in trouble is no way to find solution … the State administration is requested to deal the problem with strong hands … no unruliness must be tolerated.”
Earlier the Chief Minister had openly condemned the hate speech by some politicians and demanded legal actions against them.
She tweeted: “I condemn the recent heinous and atrocious hate speech remarks by a few disastrous BJP leaders, resulting in not only spread of violence, but also division of the fabric of the country, leading to disturbance of peace and amity … I strongly seek that the accused leaders of BJP be arrested immediately so that the unity of the country is not disturbed and people at large do not face mental agony."