West Bengal government opposes bandh call, says life will remain normal

West Bengal government on Tuesday said that life will remain normal on August 28 after the BJP called for a Bengal Bandh. The TMC government will oppose the bandh called to protest against police action on participants of the march to the state secretariat. The government said buses and other modes of transport would ply normally.

"Bengal governemnt will ensure normal life is not affected by BJP's 12-hour general strike on Wednesday," said an official.

The BJP had called for a 12-hour general strike from 6 am to 6 pm in the state. Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari earlier today alleged that police resorted to "brutal repression" on peaceful participants of 'Nabanna Abhijan' rally and had threatened to stall West Bengal if the "brutalities" by state administration was not stopped.


"Police are using water cannon on peaceful protestors at Santragachi, burst tear gas shells on the students at Howrah Bridge, lathicharged them at College Street. Please stop these brutalities immediately," the BJP leader said.


Adhikari had said, "If the police repression is not stopped immediately, we (BJP) will stall West Bengal tomorrow."

"An alarming situation has been created by this administration. Scores of protestors have been injured. If the commissioner of police Vineet Goyal and the DGP don't stop such brutalities, we will not sit idle. I am going to Howrah station en route to Belur Math as I don't want to break law. We are not joining the Chhatra Samaj movement as they had asked us not to come to the forefront but we are with them," he added.

Nabanna, the state Secretariat located in the Mandirtala area of Howrah, became the focal point of the protests. The building houses the offices of the Chief Minister and other top officials. According to sources, no official permission was granted for the march, leading the ruling Trinamool Congress to allege that a conspiracy was underway to create unrest.


The situation intensified in Santragachi, Howrah, where protesters attempted to break through police barricades. Riot police responded with lathi charges and teargas, while protesters were seen waving the Tricolour and chanting slogans.

The unrest also spread to Howrah Bridge, where protesters tried to breach police guard walls. The police resorted to water cannons, lathi charges, and teargas to control the crowd. Some policemen were injured by stones thrown by protesters, and a Rapid Action Force (RAF) jawan required hospitalisation.

The BJP leadership in West Bengal expressed moral support for the protest, which they claimed was initiated by the student community. However, they denied direct involvement in the rally. Meanwhile, student wings of the Left Parties distanced themselves from the event, alleging that it was being led by BJP and RSS leaders under the guise of student activism.

TMC leader Kunal Ghosh raised doubts about the apolitical nature of the protest, claiming, "Some of the organisers have already admitted their association with the RSS."

In response to the protests, a total of 6,000 police officers were deployed, with 2,000 stationed in and around Nabanna to maintain order and prevent further escalation.