Bus driver returns to duty in West Bengal amid strike call
Photo by: ANI
Calcutta: On Wednesday, bus drivers stood at their posts wearing helmets as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) called for a 12-hour strike in West Bengal from 6 am to 6 pm to protest against the police action at the Nabanna Abhijan rally. Government bus drivers were seen driving buses wearing helmets in several districts of West Bengal, including Kolkata and Cooch Behar.
A bus driver said the state government had asked them to join their duties wearing helmets. “We are wearing helmets because a march has been called for today… The government has ordered us to wear helmets for safety,” said a bus driver.
“We are wearing helmets due to the rally called by the BJP today… The department has given us helmets to wear for safety…” said a North Bengal State Transport Corporation (NBSTC) driver.
“We are a little scared, that’s why we are wearing helmets,” another bus driver told reporters. The BJP has called for a 12-hour dawn-to-dusk strike in West Bengal on Wednesday to protest against police action against protesters during the Nabanna Abhijan rally.
Amid the strike, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced the decision to dedicate Trinamool Chhatra Parishad Foundation Day to the junior doctor who was brutally raped and murdered at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
In a post, she wrote, “Today I dedicate Trinamool Chhatra Parishad Foundation Day to our sister whose tragic loss we mourned at RG Kar Hospital a few days ago. And please send our heartfelt condolences to the family of the sister who was brutally tortured to death and who are seeking swift justice, as well as to all women of all ages across India who have been subjected to such inhuman acts.”
Bengal Government Order on Strike
The West Bengal government has urged people not to participate in the BJP general strike to be held from 6 am to 6 pm. “The government will not allow any strike on Wednesday. We urge people not to participate in it. All necessary steps will be taken to ensure that normal life is not affected,” said Alapan Bandopadhyay, senior adviser to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
The West Bengal government issued a notification stating that all government offices would remain open and all employees, except those facing exigencies or on leave, would have to report to work on August 28 or face a justification for their unauthorised absence.
Violence during Nabanna Abhijan
Protesters, who wanted to reach West Bengal state secretariat Nabanna, engaged in pitched battles with police at several halting points on Tuesday. When the protesters tried to break through the barricades, the Kolkata police resorted to a full-scale baton charge, used water cannons and fired tear gas shells to disperse the crowd. The violence, which lasted for nearly four hours, left several people injured on both sides, including senior police officers and women protesters.
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