Normal life in Kolkata and adjoining districts came to a standstill following a bandh call by the CPI (M)-led Left Front and the NDA over the issue of allowing FDI in retail and a hike in diesel prices.
The bandh call coincided with a 72-hour taxi strike that was later withdrawn by the taxi operators’ unions.
While the State Government resorted to strong-arm tactics by cracking down on bandh supporters, sporadic incidents of violence were reported as bandh enforcers and alleged supporters of the ruling Trinamool Congress clashed in different parts of Bengal.
People preferred to stay indoors and very few private buses were seen on the streets. Shopkeepers and many offices downed shutters fearing vandalism by the bandh supporters.
According to senior police officers, there were 666 arrests across the State — 44 people were arrested from Kolkata alone.
Biman Bose, Chairman of the State Left Front Committee, thanked the people for the “overwhelming response” to the bandh call.
He pointed out that “the only incidents of violence reported during the day took place when Trinamool Congress supporters attacked those who were supporting the strike.” This was denied by the ruling party.
Normal Life
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, however, claimed that “normal life had not been impacted”. “Things were normal when I came,” she told reporters at Writers’ Building.
According to her, a handful of bandh supporters were picketing across the streets and forcibly imposing the bandh on people who were unwilling to yield to their pressure.
Later, she told journalists that “this bandh has been supported by everyone because the issue is genuine” but her party was opposed to bandhs.
According to Banerjee, the State Secretariat witnessed 90 per cent attendance and it was business as usual for them. “The attendance was as high as it is on regular days,” she said.
Train services along the eastern and south-eastern routes were partially affected on Thursday morning owing to the countrywide strike call by opposition parties.
According to an Eastern Railway spokesperson, train services remained normal except for sporadic obstructions at several stations on both Howrah and Sealdah divisions this morning. Services were normalised by 8 am, he added.
Meanwhile, operations at the NSC Bose International Airport (also called Dum Dum airport) remained normal during the day. Flights operated on schedule.