Attack on CLP team triggers widespread protests, clashes in WB

Five Congress workers were injured in fresh violence in Mangolkot where a CLP team, led by Manas Bhunia, was attacked on Wednesday allegedly by ruling Left supporters. The agitated workers on Thursday set ablaze six police vehicles clashed with the police which prevented them from entering Burmud village, near Mangolkot, Burdwan SP Raja Ramsekharan said.

During the clash, a 40-year-old person Zia-Ur-Rahman Mullick died of a heart attack.

The Burdwan unit of the Congress called for a fresh 12-hour bandh in the district tomorrow, party leader Sadhan Ghosh said.

Train movement was obstructed in several districts and road blockades were set up in the metropolis and other areas in south Bengal, causing inconvenience to hundreds of office-goers.

In the metropolis, Kolkata Police Commissioner Gautam Mohan Chakrabarty said that road blockades were put up in four parts of the city. While two had been withdrawn, the others were continuing at Kidderpore and Gariahat in the southern part of the city.

He said Congress activists tried to set a bus on fire at Gariahat in south Kolkata. The police was patrolling vulnerable spots in the city.

Blockades were also put up on  NH-6 in Howrah district's Bagnan area. Train movement was disrupted by Congress activists at Bagnan station.

In neighbouring Howrah district, a Congress stronghold, two government buses were set ablaze at Howrah Maidan and near Howrah bridge while another was damaged at Uluberia, the police said.

Congress workers in the district blocked the NH-6 for two and a half hours and then went to Bagnan railway station where they blocked rail lines. Train services in the entire district was stalled for several hours. The agitators also took out processions in many areas across the district.

The Howrah bridge connecting Howrah district to Kolkata was blocked for some time before being cleared by the police.

Trouble also erupted in neigbouring North 24-Parganas district besides South Dinajpur district.

In North 24-Parganas district, a state transport corporation bus was set ablaze at Sodepur, the police said.

Protesters also blocked rail tracks at Dum Dum Cantonment, New Barrackpore and Sodepur stations.

Road blockades were set up at Nagrbazar and Baguihati, Kalyani expressway, B T road in Sodepur and Duk Bunglow Mor on NH-34 in Barasat.

Train services were disrupted at Shyamnagar and on the Sealdah-Ranaghat main line for five hours.

Eastern Railway sources said train movement on the Bandel-Katwa section of the railway's Howrah division and in some stations on the Sealdah division was obstructed by agitators.

They, however, claimed that except Hasnabad, Budge Budge and main line sections of the Sealdah division, normal train services resumed at 10 AM.

In South Dinajpur district, the Balurghat-Malda road was blocked disrupting traffic.