Bir Hanuman followers attend rally ignoring police ban

The police made a lathicharge today to disperse a rally which shouted slogans in praise of "Sri Ram" in Suri, Birbhum district headquarters.
The police set up an iron barrier on J L Banerjee Road near the bus stand which the rallyists tried to break through, prompting the law-enforcers to make a lathicharge.
At another place on the outskirts of Suri, thousands of people ignored a police ban to participate in a rally taken out under the aegis of an organisation observing Bir Hanuman Jayanti.
The Suri police had on Sunday told the organisers of Bir Hanuman Jayanti that it would not allow holding of any rally or meeting at Suri on Tuesday.

Yesterday, the organisers asked the police to allow the rally after assuring that they would not carry arms. However, the police did not budge from its stand.
Early in the morning, a large crowd assembled at Barabagan in the town prior to take out a rally, but the police disprsed them.

The crowd then went to the outskirts of the town and around 3,000 people walked in a procession raising slogans but did not carry arms like trishul or sword as people feared they would.
State general secretary of BJP Sayantan Basu alleged at a press meet at the party office, "The district administration at first had accorded permission, but later withdrew it on order of the TMC bosses."

Meanwhile, two civic volunteers, who were not in their white uniform and were video-recording the press meet, were heckled by some BJP members.
Senior officers, including DSP Ananda Sarkar, reached the party office with force and rescued them. District SP N Sudheer Kumar said that three persons were arrested in this connection.