West Bengal police lathi-charged, and also used water cannons and tear gas against Nabanna Abhijaan protesters on Tuesday. The protesters were marching towards the state secretariat demanding the resignation of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
Clashes broke out between police and protestors on GT Road in the Howrah Maidan area while they tried to march towards the state secretariat. The protesters threw stones and bricks at the security forces and attempted to topple barricades blocking their march. Similar situation unfolded in Hastings and MG Road area.
The protesters demanded Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee should take responsibility for the death of the trainee doctor and resign.
Earlier in the day, police resorted to lathi-charge and used water cannons and tear gas to disperse agitators at Howrah Bridge's Kolkata end and near Santragachhi Railway station on Kona Expressway as protestors attempted to break through police barricades in an effort to reach Nabanna, PTI reported.
Trouble escalated when the student organisation, 'Paschim Banga Chhatra Samaj', and the dissident state government employees' platform 'Sangrami Joutha Mancha' began their 'Nabanna Abhijan' rally from various points.
The West Bengal Police had called the 'Nabanna Abhijan' march illegal and heavily fortified the premises of the state secretariat. The police had put up six-foot-tall barricades around the Nabanna to prevent the protesters from entering the building. The barricades have been welded together and dug deep into the ground at four places on Kona Expressway and other approach roads to the secretariat so that the protesters cannot apply force to push them down. Authorities have also declared Nabanna as a restricted area as prohibitory orders under Section 163 of BNSS are in force. Section 163 prevents the assembly of five or more people.