The Hindu : National : No widespread response to State-wide SUCI bandh

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National

No widespread response to State-wide SUCI bandh

Raktima Bose

KOLKATA: The 12-hour State-wide bandh called by the Socialist Unity Centre of India (SUCI) on Tuesday failed to evoke much of a response in the city, though certain areas witnessed a partial shutdown.

The bandh was called in protest against the escalating prices of essential commodities and the alleged atrocities perpetrated by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) throughout West Bengal.

While government buses and trams plied on the city roads, most of the private buses stayed away. Flight operations and metro rail services, however, were normal.

State Home Secretary Ardhendu Sen told journalists here that the shutdown was peaceful, adding that 250 SUCI supporters were arrested during the day for trying to block railway tracks.

Ashok Mohan Chakraborty, the State’s Chief Secretary, said attendance at the State Secretariat was normal.

Railway services, however, bore the brunt of the bandh, with supporters squatting on railway tracks and throwing banana leaves on the overhead wires leading to power failure.

A statement released by the Eastern Railways stated that train movement was affected in both the Sealdah and Howrah divisions due to the obstructions put up by bandh supporters at several stations in the North and South 24 Parganas districts.

Train services on the Howrah-Kharagpur section in the Kharagpur division of the South Eastern Railway (SER) were also badly hit. This resulted in trains being delayed on an average of 45 minutes, and normalcy was restored only at about 10.15 a.m., according to a statement issued by SER authorities.

Several long-distance trains like the Howrah-Secundrabad Falaknuma Express, Down Mumbai Mail, Down Ahmedabad-Howrah Express and Down Pune-Howrah Azad Hind Express among others were detained at different stations.

‘Completely successful’

Provash Ghosh, secretary of the SUCI, claimed that the bandh was “completely successful,” especially in the districts where most of the markets remained closed and government offices showed poor attendance.

Mr. Ghosh also alleged that women SUCI supporters were assaulted by the police in the Bankura district during a demonstration.

The Trinamool Congress, the SUCI’s electoral ally, stayed away from the bandh citing that the party did not support burdening people with another shutdown when they are already struggling with the price rise issue.

The spectre of bandh, however, is here to stay in West Bengal, as the Bharatiya Janata Party has called a State-wide bandh on November 30 in protest against the price rise issue.

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