Violence erupted at a protest rally organized by the youth wing of the BJP on Wednesday in Kolkata over the issue of power tariffs. Demanding a reduction in the existing power tariffs in Kolkata, hundreds of BJP workers marched towards the headquarters of Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation (CESC). CESC distributes power to Kolkata and adjoining areas.
State Secretary of BJYM in West Bengal, Aroon Shah, shared a video on Twitter which showed a party worker lying unconscious on the ground while the Police were hurling water cannons at protestors. The unconscious karyakarta was identified as Subhankar Dutta Majumdar.
My brother Subhankar Dutta Majumdar (@BJYMinWB State Secretary) was lying in an unconscious state after facing the atrocities of Kolkata Police during the #ChaloVictoriaHouse protest today. The cops dragged him to the prison van instead of taking him to the hospital. pic.twitter.com/W70nsIkgUk
— Aroon Shah (@IamaroonShah) September 11, 2019
OpIndia.com got in touch with Aroon Shah over the matter. We were told that Majumdar has been taken to a hospital. Initially, he was taken to Lalbazar Police Station after which he was shifted to a hospital as his condition was deemed serious.
Aroon Shah told OpIndia.com, “Majumdar was taken from the protest site and taken to Lalbazar Police Station in the Police Van. He was taken to the hospital from there. Around 90 people have been arrested. Many of our karyakartas have been arrested. I don’t have the exact numbers yet.” The Police used tear gas, water cannons and Lathi Charged the protesting Karyakartas, we were told.
Earlier, in a press release, the BJYM accused the CESC of ‘looting’ the public. It claimed that the CESC was selling electricity at exorbitant rates in Kolkata while the same company sells power at much lower rates in other states. It claimed that CESC was receiving unfair favours due to its close association with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
The BJYM demanded that tariff rates in Kolkata be made at par with other states of India and also sought an investigation into the CESC for its alleged business malpractice.
Political violence continues to rock West Bengal with BJP cadres facing the ire of the ruling party at the behest of party chief Mamata Banerjee. Most recently, the wife of a murdered BJP Karyakarta alleged that her husband’s deceased body was ‘stolen’ by West Bengal police to prevent her from taking him to the party headquarters in deference to his last wish.
