In yet another flare-up between the West Bengal administration and the workers of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Kolkata police roughed up several BJP workers participating in a rally in Kolkata’s Central Avenue area to protest against deteriorating law and order situation in the state. Several BJP workers were also been arrested by the WB police.
The BJP workers had taken out the rally from the BJP headquarters in Kolkata’s Central Avenue and were heading towards the Gandhi statue in Mayo road when the rally was impeded by the Kolkata police at around 100 meters from where the rally had begun. They were protesting against the series of political violence against BJP workers in the state which have seen a large number of BJP workers and leaders killed allegedly by TMC workers.
The Kolkata police, working at the behest of WB CM and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee, physically mauled the BJP workers and forcefully lifted some of them off the road. There was a lot of pushing and shoving, and a lot of BJP Mahila Morcha workers were also reportedly physically manhandled in the ensuing skirmish. The Kolkata police were seen mercilessly assaulting many workers with batons and lathis. BJP karyakartas were allegedly trying to breach barricades put up by the police to stop the BJP workers from carrying out the rally. CNN News18 has shared a video of the incident on Twitter.
https://twitter.com/CNNnews18/status/1323934256029052929?ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwAfter the arrests, BJP workers staged a sit-in-protest. The Central Avenue road which is one of the main arterial road in Kolkata remains blocked and the situation remains tense.
West Bengal police had turned BJP’s ‘Nabanna Chalo’ rally in Kolkata into a bloodbath
West Bengal police’s high-handedness, especially towards BJP workers in the state is no secret. Recently, disturbing images of the attack on the BJP karyakartas at the ‘Nabanna Chalo’ rally had surfaced. For the uninitiated, the BJYM members in West Bengal’s Kolkata had on October 8, carried out the ‘Nabanno Chalo’ protest rally over the deteriorating law and order situation and continued attack and murder of BJP leader. Images had circulated then on social media revealing how the state police had mercilessly lathi-charged the BJP karyakartas.
The brutality, however, did not stop at that. Tear gas were hurled at them and the karyakartas were even attacked with country-made bombs. The BJYM worker had also revealed that toxic chemicals were used against the BJP karyakartas. It is also claimed that several karyakartas have been hospitalised due to the chemical attack.
A West Bengal police officer was also caught on camera pulling down the turban of an on-duty Sikh security official while dragging, assaulting him. This incident had brought in a lot of embarrassment for Mamata Banerjee and her administration after social media widely outraged West Bengal police’s egregious display of brute force.
BJP on the receiving end in Mamata Banerjee’s West Bengal
In fact, BJP workers have always been at the receiving end in Mamata Banerjee’s West Bengal. Numerous workers of the BJP have been murdered, however, the state machinery appears utterly incapable of putting an end to the cycle of violence.