Trade union strike: CPI-M workers vandalise school bus carrying children

A school bus with children onboard was attacked allegedly by the Communist Party of India (Marxist)'s workers in Barasat town of West Bengal on Tuesday.

A large contingent of the security forces has been deployed to secure the area after the incident.

No casualties have been reported so far.

Taking the cognizance of the matter, the West Bengal Commission for Protection of Child Rights has sent the show cause notice to CPI-M leader Sri Sujan Chakrabarty and other leaders.

The Commission has also criticised the bus vandalism by the CPI-M workers and called it a "dangerous and unconstitutional move by a political party".

The incident has occurred in the backdrop of the ongoing trade unions nationwide strike, which has been called by a consortium of 10 central trade unions to protest against the Narendra Modi led-government's alleged anti-worker policies and unilateral labour reforms.

In Kolkata, the impact of the protests is intense as the agitators took to streets, disrupting the traffic. Earlier in the day, the police detained a couple of CPI-M workers for allegedly fanning violence in the region.

Similar scenes were visible in Bhubaneswar where protesters picketed and burnt tyres at a railway station as a mark of their protest. While, in Karnataka, people were seen walking with flags and festoons through the streets displaying their various demands and needs.

The strike has been receiving the support from organisations like the AITUC, CITU, HMS, AIUTUC, TUCC, AICCTU, along with employees in the banking and insurance sector. Farm unions like All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) and Bhumi Adhikari Andolan is also part of the strike.