Didi-BJP face-off: Water canons greet saffron brigade at Lalbazar

Hundreds of BJP activists on Wednesday marched towards Lalbazar, the Kolkata Police headquarters, only to be stunted midway by the police force who fired water cannons and lobbed tear gas shells to disperse the mob.

Amid heightened security arrangements, the saffron party workers, led by leaders like BJP National General Secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya, state party chief Dilip Ghosh, MP S.S. Ahluwalia and Mukul Roy, started the 'mega condemnation march' to Lalbazar.

Th protest was against the alleged killing of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers and breakdown of the law and order situation in the state.

The agitators started the rally from central Kolkata's Subodh Mullick Square and broke a barricade at Ganesh Chandra Avenue, close to 200 meters from entry gate of Lalbazar. The police fired two water cannons to disperse them.

The Rapid Action Force personnel lobbed tear gas shells at the rallyists and resorted to minor baton charge on the Central Avenue to stop them from re-organising the rally.

Several BJP leaders and activists sat on the street to demonstrate against the action.

"We will continue our protest programme in a peaceful manner. The streets of Kolkata do not belong to Mamata Banerjee alone that she would throttle the democratic movement using her police force. Shame, shame Mamata Banerjee," state BJP leader Jay Prakash Majumdar said.

BJP state General Secretary Raju Banerjee had gone unconscious in the scuffle. He was taken to a hospital.

Earlier in the day, three members of BJP's women wing (Mahila Morcha) were arrested by the police for demonstrating in front of Lalbazar.

--IANS

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