‘Over 200 BJP workers injured’: Suvendu Adhikari on party’s ‘Nabanna Cholo’ protest

BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari claimed that more than “200 workers” were injured during the party’s ‘Nabanna Cholo’ protest which turned violent in Kolkata on Tuesday.

Earlier in the day, Adhikari was detained in Kolkata while he was trying to visit Santragachi during the party’s massive protest march to state secretariat ‘Nabanna’ over alleged corruption by the ruling Trinamool Congress government (TMC).

“Many (BJP) workers’ hands and feet were broken, and over 200 people were injured. We are going to fight back. The BJP will call a press conference and reveal the party’s next programme,” Adhikari was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

Parts of Bengal turned into a battlefield as BJP activists clashed with the police during the protest march. Several police officers and saffron camp members, including leaders Mina Devi Purohit and Swapan Dasgupta, were reportedly injured in the melee.

The Kolkata Police had set massive barricades near the state government’s new Secretariat in Hastings. The police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse the agitators who attempted to breach the barriers that had been up at various spots across the city and its surrounding areas.

The police in Santragachhi were pelted as they chased away the demonstrators. As the protestors were prevented from continuing further, a police kiosk was vandalized.

Life in the city was affected by the protests, with normal citizens facing huge inconveniences on the thoroughfares, many of which had become chaotic.