A stranded passenger sleeps inside a train during a 24-hour bandh
in Kolkata on Wednesday.
— Reuters photo |
Kolkata, February 6
The Forward Bloc, one of the major partners of the Left Front, today observed a bandh against the killing of party workers in police firing during an agitation at Dinhata, Coochbehar in north Bengal, yesterday. The agitation was against the stoppage of the 100-day National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme in villages.
Four Forward Bloc workers were killed in the firing while two more persons admitted at the Coochbehar government hospital with severe bullet wounds succumbed to their injuries today. However, of some 40 injured Forward Bloc workers and supporters still in the hospital five were stated to be critical.
The bandh was peaceful and partial in the state. In Kolkata and several other districts people responded in large numbers to the bandh call. But in many industrial areas, in collieries and tea gardens the impact of the bandh was negligible. There were
some minor incidents and about 800 persons were arrested today from different parts for disturbing law and order during the bandh. The Chief Minister, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, ordered an inquiry after the police firing at Dinhata before leaving for New Delhi last evening.
Describing the incident as “most unfortunate”, Bhattacharjee told Forward Bloc leader Ashoke Ghose that he did not approve of police firing and assured the latter of punishing the guilty officials and policemen. He requested Ghose to withdraw the 24-hour bandh call but the latter turned down the request. However, the FB leadership ended the bandh at 6 pm.
