Bengal BJP chief falls 'sick' as cops fire tear gas shells on protesters outside police headquarters

Kolkata, Aug 27 (IANS) West Bengal BJP President Sukanta Majumdar reportedly fell sick on Tuesday after the police fired tear gas shells to disperse the BJP workers protesting in front of the Kolkata Police headquarters over the alleged police high-handedness in dealing with the protesters taking part in the ‘Nabanna Abhijan’ seeking justice for the R.G. Kar rape and murder victim.

As a group of BJP supporters led by Sukanta Majumdar, who is also the Union Minister of State for Education, and Development of the Northeastern Region (DONER), Locket Chatterjee, and Rudranil Ghosh started proceeding towards the city police headquarters, they were stopped by a large police contingent who raised barricades on the road leading to it.

Majumdar and the other BJP leaders got engaged in a heated discussion with the police. Later, the BJP supporters got involved in a scuffle with the cops, following which the latter resorted to lathi-charge and firing of tear gas shells.

Majumdar, who reportedly fell sick after inhaling the gas, was quickly taken inside a vehicle which promptly whisked him away from the spot.

The BJP leaders are claiming that the police resorted to unprovoked attacks on a ‘peaceful’ demonstration.

Meanwhile, Additional Director General of Police (South Bengal), Supratim Sarkar, told mediapersons that a total of 220 persons have been arrested in connection with the Nabanna Abhijan.

“We had earlier arrested/detained around 25 persons who were planning to give the protest march a violent shape since last night. Firearms and crude bombs were also recovered from some of them. Had they not been held on time, the agitation could have taken a dangerous shape. It is evident that the students were not behind the hooliganism. Rather, an invisible power was working from behind the scenes,” Sarkar said.

Located in the Mandirtala area of Howrah district, Nabanna is the state Secretariat from where the Government of West Bengal operates. It houses the offices of the Chief Minister and other top ministers and officials.

–IANS

src/arm