Kolkata: Auto drivers set buses on fire

Kolkata, Jan 3: After Maya, it is now Mamata's turn to grab public eye. Auto-rickshaw drivers backed by Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress set two buses on fire on Saturday, Jan 3 agitated by court's ban on ageing public transport vehicles.

The agitated mob attacked and vandalised a government bus at Park Circus. The agitators turned violent and stoned and set fire to a West Bengal Transport Corporation bus in Park Circus in south Kolkata. The bus was only partially damaged as locals managed to douse the flames. No one was injured.

Mamata Banerjee has earlier protested with 5,000 crowd against the action of government on auto drivers and owners.

Several of her party members were arrested afterwhich, Mamata Banerjee protested near the Chief Minister, Buddhadeb Bhattacherjee's for the party members' release. Mamata later called off the dharna for no reason on Saturday, Jan 3.

Trinamool Congress-backed auto rickshaw and taxi drivers unions called a 12-hour auto rickshaw and taxi strike in the city from 0600 hours on Saturday, Jan 3.

Trinamool Congress activists led by Banerjee were protesting alleged police repression against the drivers and party supporters of two-stroke autorickshaws. They will also bring out a procession in the city during the day against alleged police repression.

Meanwhile, CPI-M State Secretary Biman Bose accused Banerjee's agitation as an attempt to "create a semi-Fascist atmosphere of terror" in West Bengal by allowing anti-social elements to hijack the campaign last night.

"CPI-M would organise a state-wide procession on Saturday in protest against the manner in which TC has been pushing the state towards disaster," Bose said.

OneIndia News (With inputs from Agencies)