12JUNE2019 STATE OBSERVER
The march had been organised to protest against the killing of BJP workers in Basirhat.
Kolkata Police on Wednesday used water cannons and indiscriminately fired tear gas shells against BJP workers part of a march in protest against the killing of their party colleagues in Basirhat.
The peaceful march towards Kolkata Police’s headquarters turned chaotic when the cops attempted to stop the BJP workers at Lal Bazaar. In the ensuing struggle between the two sides, water cannons were brought in while the cops even resorted to firing tear gas shell to disperse the workers who reacted by lying down on the roads here. A number of protesting workers were forcefully picked up and put in security vehicles. Five supporters of BJP Mahila Morcha were also arrested on charges of violating CrPC Section 144.
A number of top BJP leaders, including Mukul Roy and Kailash Vijayvargiya, reached the spot but were stopped from proceeding towards the police headquarters. All roads to and from Lal Bazaar were barricaded and Rapid Action Force was deployed as well – apart from at least 3,000 personnel from Kolkata Police.
The march had been organised to protest against the killing of BJP workers in Basirhat. While BJP blamed TMC for the violence, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee had said the situation is under control.
