By IANS,
Kolkata: West Bengal Congress, which Friday enforced a dawn-to-dusk shutdown in the state to protest attack on its party legislators, said the strike was “spontaneous” and “historic” in terms of the response it received.
“The 12-hour shutdown was completely successful and spontaneous. We received unprecedented response from all across the state,” state Pradesh Congress Committee working president Subrata Mukherjee said in a press conference.
“The strike was observed in more or less in a peaceful manner, except a few sporadic incidents. I welcome those people who have extended their support to our shutdown call,” he said.
The strike was called after a 14-member delegation led by Congress Legislative Party (CLP) chief Manas Bhuinya was attacked, allegedly by the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) supporters, when they went to Dhanyarukhi village in Burdwan district Wednesday.
They had gone to distribute relief material among party supporters whose houses were burnt after the June 16 murder of CPI-M district committee member Falguni Mukherjee. Seven journalists accompanying the Congress delegation were also injured.
Demanding immediate administrative action to restore peace and normalcy in Mongolkote area of Burdwan district, Mukherjee said the state government would have to look into the issue and provide help to those people who are staying at temporary relief camps in the violence-scarred region.
“We’ve requested our party workers to withdraw blockades from the railway tracks after 4 p.m. today (Friday) and help the authorities to resume the train services as early as possible,” he said.
“We’ll soon visit Mongolkote with relief materials once again. And if we are again stopped, we’ve decide to go for a state-wide protest in future in a much bigger way,” he said, adding that the strike had largely affected Information Technology (IT) sector, tea industry, transport and railways.
Hundreds of Congress activists Friday hit the streets with party flags and blocked roads, damaged buses and ransacked government offices, protesting against a violent attack on their party leaders in Burdwan district.
A group of enraged Congress supporters vandalised the head post office in Siliguri town of Darjeeling district.
“We’ve received a report that the head post office in Siliguri was vandalised by some political activists today (Friday) morning. Another group of people, who were supporting the shutdown, also damaged the wind screens of a government bus in the same town,” state Inspector General of Police (North Bengal) K.L. Tamta told IANS by telephone.
“At least four people have been arrested so far in connection with these two protests in Siliguri,” he said.
Shops, schools, factories, offices remained closed and vehicles also kept off the roads as the supporters of the strike waving party flags took to the streets.
“The number of public transport was noticeably low in and around Kolkata. We had issued a notice to all state government departments to keep their regular service on. But it was somehow affected due to the strike,” state Chief Secretary Ashok Mohan Chakraborty told reporters at the state secretariat Writers’ Buildings.
According sources, train services were paralysed while some airlines rescheduled or cancelled their flights.
Many long-distance and local trains were halted midway by protesters. A number of trains – like Biswabharati Fast Passenger, Asansol-Haldia Express, Howrah-Purulia Express and Steel Express – were stopped at different railway stations as Congress supporters squatted on tracks.
“Both Howrah-New Delhi and Sealdah-New Delhi Rajdhani Express trains were rescheduled following the strike,” Eastern Railway spokesperson Samir Goswami said.
Police said a long-distance bus was damaged by mobs at Baguihati near the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport here. Rapid Action Force personnel were deployed at the spot to bring the situation under control.
“Four people were detained when they were trying to close the Metro Railway station gate at Kalighat,” Kolkata Police deputy commissioner (detective department) Jawed Shamim told IANS.
Attendance in IT and outsourcing firms here was also affected, officials said.
“It doesn’t always help to keep office open on shutdowns as it is difficult for people to come from distant places to work. No transport is available,” Globsyn Technologies’ CEO Bikram Dasgupta told IANS.
Asked about the impact of the strike on the IT sector, he said: “Not many people are coming. The fear factor, after what happened yesterday (Thursday), is on top of everyone’s mind.”
Hundreds of Congress activists Thursday set fire to a bus on the Howrah Bridge, which links Kolkata with the busy Howrah railway station. They also obstructed all major road junctions across the state. Many trains were badly hit due to blockades on railway tracks.
“At the end of the day, strikes, irrespective of political parties, are frustrating,” Dasgupta said.
Patton International Ltd managing director Sanjay Budhia said: “Strikes are never positive, irrespective of whichever political party has called it. Today I was supposed to go to the US via Delhi. But I had to reschedule everything.”