3 die in police firing, FB calls bandh tomorrow

Dinhata, Feb 5 (UNI) At least three people were killed and several injured when police fired to quell a 15,000-strong rally of Forward Bloc supporters which turned violent after being denied entry into the Dinhata Subdivisional Office today.

The injured included eight policemen.

Forward Bloc's Coochbehar district secretary Udayan Ghosh, however, claimed that four of their supporters were killed and 25 hospitalised.

The party has called a 24-hour Bengal bandh tomorrow in protest against the killing.

''Three Forward Bloc supporters were killed in a police firing during a party rally here,'' Inspector General of Police(North Bengal) R J S Nalwa told UNI in Siliguri.

The incident occurred when about 15,000 party supporters had gathered to agitate in support of FB's seven-point demand, including issue of the new BPL list, NREGS and North Bengal development programme.

Mr Nalwa said the police first resorted to lathicharge when the agitators broke the police barricade and attacked the personnel.

''They even ransacked the SDO's office,'' he said adding that a police officer was seriously injured.

''The police then burst teargas shells and when even that failed to disperse the mob, they were forced to fire,'' he said.

EDS:Here pick up suitably from earlier series.

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