Bandh Call by BJP Partially Affects Life in Bengal, Helmets Worn by Bus Drivers As Precaution

Kolkata: The 12-hour-bandh call given by the BJP on Wednesday affected normal life partially in West Bengal. This bandh call was given to protest against the police action on ‘Nabanna Abhijan’ over the rape and murder of a trainee doctor in Kolkata, on Tuesday.

There were reports of clashes between TMC and BJP workers in the outskirts of Kolkata and Nadia.

In Kolkata, the number of buses and taxis on roads, was less due to the bandh call. BJP workers were detained in several parts of Kolkata as they tried to close down the shops.

The West Bengal government has urged people not to support BJP’s dawn-to-dusk bandh call.

Schools and colleges remained open and most private offices asked their employees to work from home.

Heavy police deployment was there in all areas of Kolkata. In Nadia district, Trinamool and BJP workers clashed. Train services were disrupted by the BJP supporters between Bangaon-Sealdah, Gocharan station, Murshidabad station, and Barrackpore station.

In north Bengal, drivers of the state-run North Bengal State Transport Corporation (NBSTC) buses were ordered to wear helmets for safety as precautionary measure during the bandh. The department gave helmets to drivers to wear.

On Tuesday, large-scale violence shook up Kolkata during the ‘Nabanna Abhijan’ protest march called by a newly floated student body, demanding the resignation of Chief Mamata Banerjee.