Left workers' protest in Bengal turns violent, police resort to lathicharge

Kolkata: Several Left activists, including CPI-M central committee member Dipak Dasgupta, and some policemen were injured when Left workers clashed with police during a protest-march to the city police headquarters on Thursday. [caption id=“attachment_2452282” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. AP[/caption] The police resorted to latchicharge at Ganesh Chandra Avenue where the protesters broke barricades during the “march to Lalbazar” programme to protest against alleged police atrocity against people and their democratic rights. A senior police officer said several police personnel were injured when Left workers resorted to brickbatting and stone-pelting. CPI-M politburo member Mohammed Salim claimed, “Several of our leaders, including our central committee member Dipak dasgupta, were injured in the unprovoked police lathicharge.” CPI-M state secretary Surjya Kanta Mishra said, “We told them that a Left delegation will go and submit a memorandum. But they resorted to unprovoked lathicharge on our supporters. We condemn this. We want to tell Mamata Banerjee that the people of the state will give them a befitting reply.” He alleged that the brutal lathicharge was a proof of the barbaric and undemocratic attitute of the state administrtation. The police said that they were forced to resort to lathicharge when attacked by the demonstrators in which some police personnel received injuries. “More than 50 police personal were injured in the attack by the protestors. We are awaiting further reports,” a senior police officer said. Several of the injured, including women and the elderly, were admitted to nearby hospitals. The Left’s march to Lalbazar was organised within a month after a march to the state secretariat at Howrah which had also witnessed violence and September 2 general strike. The Left Front organised the march from three points in the metropolis, one from Dorina Crossing led by opposition leader Surya Kanta Mishra while Left Front chairman Biman Bose led the march from Ganesh Chandra Avenue. Md Salim, CPI-M politburo member, led the march from College Street. The police, along with officials of the Rapid Action Force, lathicharged protesters at Ganesh Chandra Avenue when they broke two of the three barricades. The protesters were seen throwing rotten eggs towards the police barricade. A few mediapersons also received injuries during the clash. “More than 200 of our supporters have been injured today during the lathicharge. We were protesting peacefully, we wanted to go to Lalbazaar, but we were stopped,” Left Front chairman Biman Bose told PTI. The TMC leaderership rubbished the allegations and said that the Left was trying to disturb the peaceful atmosphere of the state. “They have lost all connect with the masses and that is why they are trying to disturb the peaceful atmosphere of the state. The more they resort to hooliganism the more they will be detached from the masses,” a senior TMC leader said. Meanwhile, Kolkata Police Special Additional and Joint Commissioner of Police (HQ) Rajeev Mishra claimed that it was Left supporters who started pelting stones and attacked police personnel with sticks holding flags. “And it was after that the police chased them,” Mishra said, adding that around 15 policemen were badly injured in the clash with the Left supporters on Thursday. PTI