NEW DELHI: West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari on Monday tightened his tone on the deteriorating law and order situation in state after 10 cops along with 3 CAPF personnel were injured in Kolkata during a protest on Sunday afternoon. He further informed that at least 40 arrests had been made so far.Drawing comparisons with Srinagar, he said that incidents like stone pelting had stopped even in volatile regions like Kashmir. “I think such things must stop in West Bengal as well,” he said.“An unfortunate incident took place yesterday. Anyone can stage an agitation or put forward their demands, but it should be lawful and logical. This is a democratic country. We have instructed the lower levels of the police administration through virtual meetings that any group, individual, political organisation, or religious group can present their views, demands, or grievances by meeting the OCs and ICs and submitting representations to them,” he said.“They may seek answers, and it is the responsibility of the concerned police station to satisfy them and provide appropriate responses. There is no objection to that. However, gathering crowds, raising religious slogans, and pelting stones, such incidents have stopped even in Srinagar. I think such things must stop in West Bengal as well,” he added.
Why were people protesting & how violence unfolded
The protest at Park Circus seven-point crossing was triggered by anger over the “bulldozer action” in Tiljala, where two allegedly illegal buildings were partially demolished by authorities. The demolitions came days after a fire in one of the buildings killed three people last Tuesday. A social media post calling for demonstrations against the demolition drive drew a large crowd to the crossing around 1.30pm.According to police, the gathering was unauthorised and tensions escalated when protesters attempted to block roads in the busy intersection. The situation turned violent after security forces tried to disperse the crowd. Protesters allegedly hurled stones and bricks at police personnel and vandalised police vehicles, damaging at least three.Ten police and CAPF personnel were injured in the clashes, three of them seriously. Among the injured were additional commissioner of police (south-east) Chitadeep Pandey, his guard, and Beniapukur police station officer-in-charge Rajesh Singh, all of whom were taken to hospital. Police later resorted to a lathicharge to bring the situation under control after nearly an hour of unrest.
