BJP's 12-hour general strike evokes mixed response in West Bengal, 1650 bandh supporters held
Kolkata, Sep 26 (IBNS):Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s 12-hour general strike in West Bengal saw a mixed response on Wednesday when police arrested at least 1650 strike-supporters for forcibly trying to make the shut down successful, official said.
During a press conference at state secretariat at Nabanna, state police's ADG (Law and Order) Anuj Sharma said, "Police, so far, have arrested 1600 strike supporters in preventive sections and 50 more persons under specific cases from several areas of West Bengal. Strict legal actions will be taken against them."
"Strike supporters set three state buses on fire- one in Jhargram and two in North Dinajpur district's Islampur, and they attacked police personnel in those areas," Anuj Sharma told reporters.
Protesting the deaths of two students in alleged police firing during a clash between police force and school pupils in North Dinajpur's Islampur, BJP had called for a half day statewide general shut down on Wednesday.
BJP activists reportedly blocked roads, highways and railway tracks at multiple locations across the state, hitting rail and road-transportation services, and they engaged in clash with police force at several areas.
Besides vandalizing several shops, which were not closed on strike day, strike supporters allegedly ransacked and torched buses and other vehicles at different locations across West Bengal.
A huge police force were deployed in Kolkata and other districts of Bengal to avoid any untoward situation and foil any attempts by strike supporters to forcibly make the bandh successful.
A senior official of the state said that attendance in school, colleges, government offices and Kolkata's IT sectors were normal like other days.
West Bengal BJP president, Dilip Ghosh, claimed that his party's strike was spontaneous and successful.
TMC leaders, however, said that BJP's shut down became a flop show as people of the state rejected it.
(Reporting by Deepayan Sinha, Images & video by Subhodeep Sardar)
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