Unprecedented violence by Trinamool in Bengal Assembly

Kolkata, Nov 30 (UNI) In an unprecedented bedlam in the West Bengal Assembly lobby today, altogether ten people, including six CPI(M) MLAs, were injured when violent Trinamool Congress Legislators ran amok protesting the alleged arrest and assault of party supremo Mamata Banerjee near Singur in Hooghly district.

Going for massive destruction of furniture, the Legislators broke whatever they could lay their hands on and tore documents in a free for all that forced the Speaker to adjourn the House till December four.

The incident sparked off violence outside the Assembly House as Trinamool Congress supporters set ablaze buses and a police vehicle and put up road and rail blocks in different parts of the state.

Ms Banerjee announced that her party would observe a 12-hour ''Bangla bandh'' tomorrow in protest against her ''illegal arrest'' and the police atrocities.

Describing the incident as a ''sheer act of vandalism'', Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee exuded confidence that it would not mar the prospect of Tata Motors' small car unit at Singur.

The incident took place after Ms Banerjee barged inside the Assembly premises and started shouting at the top of her voice alleging that the administration had acted ''unconstitutionally'' by preventing her from entering Singur where the Tata motors have proposed to set up a small car factory.

Ms Banerjee was going to Singur to participate in a programme against the acquisition of farm land for the Tata's project, official sources said adding she was prevented from entering the area, where prohibitory orders were clamped.

A visibly furious Ms Banerjee, who was alone, kept waiving a copy of the Indian Constitution berating the government in choicest words and dragged a chair to sit for a dharna in protest against the ''high-handed and authoritarian'' attitude of the administration.

She alleged that she was picked up in a van and beaten up before being taken back to Kolkata.

As soon as the news spread inside the House, Trinamool MLAs who were participating in a no-confidence motion against the government came out rushing and all hell broke loose in the lobby.

Chairs flew, tables were broken and glass panes crashed in a fast series of sequences as the frenzied MLAs shouting hoarse ran amock to destroy whatever they could lay their hands on. Assembly documents were also torn and destroyed.

During the pandemonium, six CPI(M) MLAs, two security persons of the Assembly and two media photographers sustained injuries.

Observing that it was the ''blackest day'' in the country's democratic movement, Speaker Hasim Abdul Halim said he was considering stringent disciplinary action against the Trinamool Congress Legislators for resorting to unprecedented violence.

Left Front Committee Chairman and CPI(M) State Committee member Biman Basu alleged that the Trinamool Congress was trying to thwart the process of industrialisation in the state and today's incident showed the party's frustration and fascist character.

While the Congress extended moral support to the bandh, organisations like All India Minority Forum also supported it though describing the Assembly incident as unfortunate.

UNI KDG/ABA/AKM PK HT2258