BJP protests against fake vaccine racket in Kolkata

March to Kolkata Municipal Corporation ploy to protest against Kasba fake vaccination case, a huge police contingent of 1,000 personnel, led by senior officials in the ranks of additional commissioners, joint commissioners and deputy commissioners were deployed in the surroundings of KMC building since morning.

Kolkata: Apprehensions were there that in BJP's first showdown against Mamata Banerjee-government since the state assembly elections would create major ruckus and violence on the streets of Kolkata on Monday. Accordingly, to resist BJP's "March to Kolkata Municipal Corporation" ploy to protest against Kasba fake vaccination case, a huge police contingent of 1,000 personnel, led by senior officials in the ranks of additional commissioners, joint commissioners and deputy commissioners were deployed in the surroundings of KMC building since Monday morning.

However, the proposed "March to KMC" could not have a major impact as expected. Barring some scuffles here and there, there were no major incidence of violence or law and order problems. The police tried to stop the meeting at the very starting point in front of Hind Cinema in central Kolkata on Monday at around 1 PM.

Although the city police did not permit the protest programme on grounds of the current pandemic situation but deployed a huge police contingent apprehending major violence and ruckus.

The BJP leadership initially tried to dodge the police by suddenly deviating from the route of the march that was originally announced. It was initially announced that the procession will move through Wellington Square to the KMC building. But suddenly, the team led by senior BJP leader Jaiprakash Majumdar deviated from the route and started moving through Ganesh Chandra Avenue. The police personnel, though initially perplexed, were able to stop that procession in front of the Chandni Chawk metro railway station.

Scuffles between BJP supporters and the police personnel began, as police arrested several BJP personnel. Police arrested several BJP leaders and MLAs like Sayantan Basu and Agnimitra Paul.

BJP's protest marches virtually ended there. Senior BJP leaders including BJP state president Dilip Ghosh then came back to the party's state headquarter in central Kolkata from the protest venue. BJP's Lok Sabha member, Jyotirmoy Singh Mahato said that the police tried to stop the procession even before it started. "People are in trouble after being jabbed with fake vaccines. But the police are trying to crush the democratic protests against this menace," he said.

Ghosh said that they had accepted the verdict of the people. "But that does not mean that the state government can get away doing anything. We were conducting a peaceful protest. But the police unnecessarily intervened," he said.

Ridiculing Ghosh, minister Firhad Hakim said that after being lost in the elections BJP is trying to resort to such petty things to keep themselves relevant.