Kolkata ‘Nabanna Abhijan’ Protest Turns Violent; Police Use Water Canon, Tear Gas, Lathi Charge

Kolkata: To disperse ‘Nabanna Abhijan’ protestors, who are demanding the resignation of West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, Kolkata Police on Tuesday resorted to lathi-charge, use of water cannons and tear gas at Howrah Bridge’s Kolkata end and near Santragachhi Railway station on Kona Expressway.

The protestors tried to break through police barricades to reach the state secretariat, Nabanna.

At Santragachhi, protestors hurled bricks at police, injuring several officers. The protestors alleged that several students were injured by police action.

The protestors were trying to reach the West Bengal state secretariat demanding the resignation of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over the rape-murder of a doctor at RG Kar Medical College.

According to police sources, they resorted to lathi charge and tear gassing after the agitators breached the barricades at some locations and attacked the security personnel.

The student organisation, ‘Paschim Banga Chhatra Samaj’, and the dissident state government employees’ organization ‘Sangrami Joutha Mancha’ took up the ‘Nabanna Abhijan’ rally from various points of Kolkata.