On Tuesday, Kolkata Police apprehended a total of 126 demonstrators – 103 men and 23 women – who were marching towards the state secretariat Nabanna. They were calling for Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to step down following the reported rape and murder of a doctor, according to sources speaking to media.
BJP demands release of arrested students
The BJP requested the students’ release after they were arrested during a rally towards Nabanna, the state secretariat, in protest against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee following the alleged rape and murder of a doctor. The police stopped BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar from leading a rally to Lalbazar police headquarters to meet the Police Commissioner.
A party state leader reported that the state president of the BJP called for the immediate and unrestricted release of the students who were arrested from different places while marching towards Nabanna.
Also read: Nabanna Abhijan March: Drones and Robocops being used amid high security
Protesters who attacked police were not students, claims Kunal Ghosh
Kunal Ghosh of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) stated that those involved in the violent protests and attacks on police in West Bengal today were not students. He also added that the demonstrators attempted to breach barricades and even assaulted officers with rocks, but law enforcement refrained from using firearms.
Protesters, Police sustain injuries in violent clashes across the state
Violent confrontations erupted between police and demonstrators in various areas of Kolkata and nearby Howrah on Tuesday, as protesters attempted to breach barricades to move towards the West Bengal secretariat.
Law enforcement used batons, water cannons, and tear gas to scatter demonstrators who hurled rocks and bricks at the authorities and tried to overthrow barriers preventing access to the state secretariat.
