BJP activists-police scuffle in Kolkata triggers tension
Protesting against a Muslim cleric's fatwa, West Bengal unit of BJP called for a march from its headquarters to city's downtown Esplanade area.
After the protest rally started, police stopped the march on Central Avenue, very close to BJP's Bengal headquarters.
Thereafter, BJP activists, led by party's state president Dilip Ghosh, blocked Central Avenue and started sit-in-demonstration there.
When police forcibly tried to lift the road blockade, they engaged in a scuffle with agitators.
Security personnel restored to lathicharge to bring the situation under control and booked several leader-activists of BJP.
Protesting against the police action, BJP supporters, led by actress-turned-BJP leader Locket Chatterjee, blocked College Street at College Square area.
Detaining at least 20 party activists, including Locket Chatterjee, police lifted the blockade there very soon.
BJP state president Dilip Ghosh claimed that several party activists were injured due to the 'unprovoked' lathicharge by Kolkata Police.
"We are condemning of the police action and we will protest against it across the state till Dec 21," Ghosh said.
However, no reaction has been received from the Kolkata Police officials so far.
Few days earlier, issuing a fatwa against Dilip Ghosh, Shahi Imam of Kolkata's Tipu Sultan Mosque Maulana Noorur Rahman Barkati directed to pelt stones at Ghosh and kick him out of Bengal.
(Reporting by Deepayan Sinha)
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