Left workers had taken out similar rallies in several other places where they were allegedly beaten up by the police.
Left leaders, including CPM’s state secretariat member Amiya Patra, were injured after police lathicharged them during an agitation in Bankura district on Monday. Left Front workers had taken out a march in Bankura town to stop “communal polarisation” and demand restoration of democracy in the state, among others. They were on their way to submit a memorandum to Bankura district magistrate with a 21-point charter of demands when the police stopped them. As Left workers squatted on the road, police used lathicharge to disperse them. More than 10 Left workers were injured in the attack. They were taken to Bankura Medical College and Hospital.
Left workers had taken out similar rallies in several other places where they were allegedly beaten up by the police. Condemning the police attack on the party workers, CPM state secretary Surjyakanta Mishra said, “The people of the state took to the streets on Monday to raise certain demands. However, they were subjected to police atrocities and in several places even women party workers were attacked. We strongly condemn today’s incident. There should be state-wide protest to condemn this police brutality.”
Left Front chairman Biman Bose made an appeal to the people to organise protest rallies across the state on Tuesday and Wednesday. “The people were protesting against the policies of central and state governments. But the police tried to silence them by beating them up. The national general secretary of DYFI Abhoy Mukherjee and others were beaten up. Our workers were beaten up in Bankura, Tamluk and Barasat. In Tamluk, police arrested our workers and heckled our party leaders Rabin Deb and Minati Ghosh. We condemn this brutal attack. There should be protest rallies across the state on September 12 and 13,” Basu said in a statement.
According to a senior police officer in Bankura, they were forced to use batons as Left workers pelted them with stones. “The agitators threw bricks and stones at us. We had no option but to use lathicharge to disperse them from the area,” the officer said.
