Siliguri turns into battlefield with DYFI and police locking horns
Siliguri: Siliguri turned virtually into a battlefield with DYFI locking horns with the police over a ‘Uttarkanya Chalo’ rally, on Friday. The rally, with the demand of filling vacant government posts and demands for employment generation, quickly escalated into clashes with police, leading to injuries to both sides. Several arrests were made. Several DYFI workers, including Yuvajyoti Saha, the state president, DYFI and Meenakshi Mukherjee, State Secretary, DYFI were detained and taken to the New Jalpaiguri Police Station.
The protest, led by Mukherjee and Saha, commenced from Jalpai More in Siliguri in the afternoon with supporters from all over North Bengal joining the rally and making its way towards Tinbatti More. The police had cordoned off the area and set up multi level barricades to prevent the rally from advancing, as the protesters didn’t have permission for the rally.Repeated mikings urging the protesters to return, fell to deaf ears and the rally tried to breach the barricade. They even resorted to a sit-in demonstrations on the spot. The situation turned worse when the protesters attempted to breach the barricades and allegedly pelted stones at the police. The police launched water cannons to disperse the crowd and as tensions escalated further, they burst tear gas and resorted to baton charge.
Biswa Chand Thakur, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) said: “The protesters had thrown stones at the police, injuring several officers. The situation became uncontrollable when the protesters attempted to break the barricades. We were compelled to use water cannons to restore order.” Meenakshi Mukherjee accused the police of unjustly preventing their protest, despite having sought prior permission to submit a memorandum to Uttarkanya, the mini Secretariat. “We had applied for permission in advance, but our rally was stopped without any reason,” she alleged, adding that many of their supporters were injured during the police crackdown.
The police, however, defended their actions, stating that the protest had not been given a go-ahead and that the barricades were set up to prevent any untoward incidents.
Meanwhile, road closures and barricades caused significant disruption in the city, affecting commuters. Multiple roads, including Mahatma Gandhi More, Noukaghat More were blocked and diverted, leading to severe traffic congestion. The situation worsened as one ambulance carrying a patient to a cancer hospital in Fulbari got delayed.
A resident of Jalpaiguri, not willing to be named, expressed frustration over the inconvenience caused, saying that he had come to Siliguri for a medical appointment but was unable to find transportation due to the blocked roads.
