Lefts-Cong calls 12-hour Bangla bandh after clash with police

A left activist shows Red Card during Nabanna Abhiyan of Lefts student and youth wings (Facebook)

WB Gov says all offices to remain open during Bandh

Kolkata: Central Kolkata turns a war-zone as Lefts activists clashed with police during a rally (Nabanna Abhiyan) on Thursday. Lefts calls for 12-hour Bandh in West Bengal from 6 am to 6 pm to protest over today’s incident wherein lefts youth activists were beaten up and water cannons were used against them.

Violence erupted in Kolkata during a march to the State Secretariat organized by the students and youth wings of left parties. Water cannons were used against the activists and the police deployed at Dorina Crossing at Dharmatala in Central Kolkata resorted to Lathi-Charge to disperse the crowd. Police also fired the tear gas. In this action, several left activists were injured seriously.

However, lefts student and youth wings had announced the ‘Nabanna Abhiyan’ to protest against the policies of the Mamata Banerjee led West Bengal Government and demanding ‘jobs’. Activists said their gathering was to show a “RED CARD” to the TMC Government.

Biman Bose said ‘Left calls for 12 hour bandh in West Bengal tomorrow from 6 am to 6 pm to protest over today’s incident wherein left party members were beaten up and water cannons were used against them by police during march to Nabanna in Kolkata”

He added “the way police unleashed atrocities on the participants in the march to Nabanna, it created a situation somewhat akin to the historic Jallianwala Bagh incident”

However, finance department of West Bengal government has issued a memorandum read “it has been decided that all state government offices including those provided with Grants-in-Aid by the state government shall remain open and all employees shall report for the duty on February 12”