Seven students injured in anti-quota flare-up in Bengal

Kolkata, Aug 24 (UNI) At least seven anti-reservation protestors were injured and 150 detained during a students' demonstration in the capital as police used batons to stop them from marching towards the state secretariat Writers' Buildings.

Anti-quota protests flared up as medicos and students under the banner of the ''Youth for Equality'', a conglomerate of various student unions, clashed with police near Central Metro station during the demonstration in protest against the Government's proposal to table the OBC Reservation Bill in Parliament tomorrow.

DC Central Ajay Ranade told UNI that the incident occurred when a splinter group from the rally tried to deviate from the main route of the procession in a bid to proceed towards the state secretariat to present a deputation to Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.

The constables escorting the rally tried to prevent the protestors from proceeding further and in the ensuing scuffle a few students and policemen fell on the road and sustained injuries.

Mr Ranade, however, denied any lathicharge by police.

'' Police baton charge was absolutely unnecessary and unprovoked, '' students' representative Dr Kalyan Ashis Mukherjee told UNI.

'' We were protesting for a cause and heading towards the Writers' Buildings when police used batons, '' he said.

He further said the injured students were taken to the Medical College and Hospital.

The agitators put up road blockades for four hours leading to severe traffic snarl and resulting in immense hardship to the commuters.

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