Left youth rallyists and cops clash in Howrah

Kolkata: A rally by supporters of 12 Left student-youth organisations proceeding towards Nabanna ended in their pitched battle with police in Howrah, leaving 62 people injured. All of them were admitted to the distri-ct hospital. Left parties will observe a protest day across West Bengal on Saturday.
The rally, which began a day before from Singur in Hooghly, was moving towa-rds the secretariat on Friday afternoon, demanding jobs and education minus the ubiquitous cut money, now a common allegation.
As far as 5km ahead of Nabanna, police threw heavy security cover over the area, putting up a barricade past Bangabasi Cinema. In the secretariat’s ground floor, armed policemen with fibreglass shields took positi-on to thwart any incursion.
From 1.30pm to 4pm, a 100m stretch on the cramped Grand Trunk Road — from Bangabasi Cinema to Mullick Phatak, Howrah’s retail hub — turned into a battle zone during Puja season, bringing traffic to a halt from Howrah to Andul.
Unlike the day before, police used water cannons sparingly on Friday. They had a tough time tackling thousands who wouldn’t give up even after a lathicharge. They burst tear gas sh-ells after a policeman was hit by a stone thrown from the adjoining Rameswar Malia Lane. “We have video footage of police throwing stones from highrises on the peaceful demonstration,” said CPM leader Md Selim at the party office on Alimuddin Street.
Agitators retaliated by smashing glass panes of some roadside showrooms at Mullick Phatak, prompting another crackdown. Bidipta Roy, a housewife who was out Puja shopping, was hit during the lathicharge.
Selim said: “The CM could have allowed representatives to come to Nabanna and tell her about their complaints when she is encouraging it through ‘Didi Ke Bolo’ programme.”
Trinamool’s central Howrah general secretary Sushobhan Chatterjee put the blame entirely on Left supporters. Left Front chairman Biman Bose visited the injured in the hospital. “Sixty injured were admitted. Some have head injuries,” said hospital superinte-ndent Narayan Chatterjee.