Bengal: Scattered response to strike called by SUCI-C on RG Kar issue

Kolkata, Aug 16 (IANS) The 12-hour general strike in West Bengal convened on Friday by the Socialist Unity Centre of India-Communist (SUCI-C) against the ghastly rape and murder of a woman doctor at the state-run R. G. Kar Medical College & Hospital here last week has so far evoked scattered response in select pockets in the state.

At the Diamond Harbour section in the South Division of Sealdah, train services were disrupted following rail-blockade agitation by the SUCI-C activists at a number of stations.

The worst affected stations were Diamond Harbour and Lakshmikantapur, with the latter being a traditional stronghold pocket of SUCI-C for years. Scattered impact of bandh has also been reported in certain other pockets in South 24 Parganas district namely Mathurapur, Kulpi, Raidighi and Magrahat, among others.

Major tension was reported on Friday morning from Cooch Behar district following scuffles between the police personnel and the strikers. At the SUCI-C activists went for road blockades there, and the huge police contingent present there tried to disperse them, which led to clashes.

Similar clashes between the strikers and the police have been reported from Belda in West Midnapore and Suri in Birbhum district among others.

At Kolkata, tensions broke out at Hazra's four-point crossing in South Kolkata, which is barely a kilometre away from the residence of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at Kalighat. As the SUCI-C started a protest rally, a huge police contingent deployed at the spot stopped it.

The strikers, being adamant, tried to continue with their rally which prompted the police to take action, following which clashes broke out between the cops and SUCI-C activists. The strikers claimed that the cops launched an unprovoked attack on them while they were about to begin a protest rally.

The Secretariat, on Thursday evening, issued a notification saying that the administration will not tolerate any attempt to disrupt normal life in the state in the name of strike, and all efforts will be made to maintain normalcy.