TMC govt hardens stand against BJP-sponsored bandh over Islampur clash

Hardening its stand against the BJP-sponsored 12-hour bandh in West Bengal on September 26, the Trinamool Congress government on Monday said all steps would be taken to maintain normal life on that day while accusing the saffron party of trying to foment trouble in the state.

The BJP, which has called the band to protest the killing of two students in a clash with police in North Dinajpur district on Thursday, however, claimed that the shutdown would be a complete success as the people of Islampur and the entire state is fed up with the "misrule of the TMC".

TMC secretary general and State Education Minister minister Partha Chatterjee charged the BJP with trying to foment trouble in the state by calling the shutdown, and said all steps will be taken to ensure normal life on the day.

State-run buses will ply and a notification will be issued for state government employees to attend office on the bandh day, he said, adding commercial establishments and private education institutes would be urged to function normally on that day.

Senior BJP leader Rahul Sinha accused the TMC government of letting loose "police raj and goonda raj" in the state and claimed the people of West Bengal would make the 12-hour shutdown a grand success.

"The TMC government has completely failed to maintain law and order in the state. There is a complete lawless situation in the state," he alleged.

Reacting to Partha Chatterjee's comments, Sinha said the TMC's reaction only showed that the state government is "nervous" and wants to use the police to ensure that the shutdown did not take place.

"The September 26 shutdown will be a complete success and it will be an expression of people's anger against the anti-people government," he said.

Meanwhile, the All India Minority Forum on Monday moved a PIL before the Calcutta High Court seeking direction to the BJP to withdraw its call for the shutdown.

Trinamool Congress MP Idris Ali, a practising lawyer, prayed before a division bench presided by Chief Justice J Bhattacharya for an injunction restraining the BJP from giving effect to the bandh call.

Two students were killed when a mob clashed with police over entry of newly appointed Urdu teachers in Daribhita School in North Dinajpur's Islampur as the protesting students said they needed science and english teachers.

The BJP and locals have alleged that the two, who were former students of the school, were killed in police firing but the superintendent of police of North Dinajpur, Sumit Kumar, had said the police did not open fire.

The SP had, however, admitted that the students had received bullet injuries and had said the police were investigating who had opened fire.

State BJP president Dilip Ghosh said his party had no option but to call the bandh and demanded CBI inquiry into the incident.

"We have demanded a CBI probe into the Islampur incident. The chief minister is claiming the police did not resort to firing. Then who killed the two students? The firing happened right in front of the police," he said.

Police on Sunday arrested BJP North Dinajpur district president Shankar Chakraborty from Domohana area here for making provocative comments against security forces.