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Amid violence, lathi-charge and tear gas shells, an elderly man, wearing a saffron robe, was seen braving blazing water cannons and waving the national flag on the iconic Howrah bridge during the 'Nabanna Abhijan' (March to Bengal Secretariat) protest rally in West Bengal’s Howrah on Tuesday.
Watch the video here:
Slamming Mamata Banerjee’s government, West Bengal BJP state general secretary, Locket Chatterjee, shared the viral video on X and said that the man seen in the video stood against her “oppressive” regime.
“End anarchy, end fascism. We all demand the end of TMC's tyranny. With the Tiranga in hand amid blasting water cannons, this man is defining his steadfast determination to against the oppression of Mamata Banerjee. I stand by him, the people of the state stand by him and the entire country is standing by him,” wrote Chatterjee.
Reacting to the viral video, TMC Rajya Sabha MP Sagarika Ghose asked if the man was a student of West Bengal Chatra Samaj, the organisation which organised the 'Nabanna Abhijan' protest rally in Howrah.
Fresh clashes broke out between police, protestors on Howrah's GT Road
Meanwhile, fresh clashes broke out between police and protestors on GT Road in Howrah Maidan area when they tried to march towards the state secretariat as a part of their 'Nabanna Abhijaan' on Tuesday afternoon.
Police lathi-charged and used water cannons and tear gas to disperse protestors who threw stones and bricks at the security forces and attempted to topple barricades blocking their way to the state secretariat.
A policeman, who identified himself as the in-charge of Chanditala police station in Howrah Police Commissionerate, was injured in the clash.
A similar situation unfolded in Hastings and MG Road area, where protestors threw stones at police, who were seen chasing them away.
"Why were we beaten by police? We did not break any laws. We are holding a peaceful rally to demand justice for the deceased doctor. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee should take responsibility and resign," said a woman protester to news agency PTI.
The protestors were attempting to reach the state secretariat, Nabanna, to demand the resignation of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over the rape-murder of a doctor at RG Kar Medical College.
Police said they began lathicharging and tear gassing after the agitators breached barricades at some locations and attacked security personnel.
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Earlier in the day, police resorted to lathi-charge and used water cannons and tear gas to disperse agitators at Howrah Bridge's Kolkata end and near Santragachhi Railway station on Kona Expressway as protestors attempted to break through police barricades in an effort to reach Nabanna.
At Santragachhi, agitators threw bricks at police, injuring several officers, while protestors claimed that police action also injured several students.
Trouble escalated when the student organisation, 'Paschim Banga Chhatra Samaj', and the dissident state government employees' platform 'Sangrami Joutha Mancha' began their 'Nabanna Abhijan' rally from various points.
