Bangla Bandh begins amid minor disruptions

Kolkata, Dec 1 (UNI) The Trinamool Congress sponsored 12-hour Bangla bandh began at 0600 hrs today amid heavy security cover to prevent any untoward incident.

There has been a mixed reaction to the bandh till now. While reports of some disruption and violence have filtered in from different parts of the state, the situation has been peaceful on the whole.

Deputy Commissioner (Headquarters) Pradip Chatterjee told UNI, '' We have deployed 5000 police personnel in different parts of the city to prevent any untoward incidents.'' Besides this, seven wireless vans and 25 Heavy Duty vehicles are also on patrol, he said.

'' Eighteen mobile escorts have been kept in different parts to escort the cars going to the IT sector. Besides this, 100 plus pickets have been put up at different parts of the city,'' he said.

He also made it clear that instructions have been given to arrest any individual or group trying to disrupt traffic forcibly.

Meanwhile, reports coming in from different part state that train services have been partially affected on the Sealdah, Budgebudge and Dankuni section of the Eastern Railway.

Trinamool Congress Bhatpara MLA Arjun Singh has been arrested for trying to disrupt traffic. In Asansol, five Trinamool activists were arrested.

A Congress Zilla Committee President's car has been damaged by CPI(M) activists in Cooch Behar, sources said.

Meanwhile, a heavy deployment of police has been made at Singur and fencing of the land to be given to Tata Motors has started from the Khaserberia region.

Section 144 of CrPC is still clamped in the region.

The bandh has been called to portest against the ''illegal arrest'' and police atrocities on party supremo Mamata Banerjee.

Addressing a press conference in the Trinamool Congress room in the state Assembly last evening, Ms Banerjee said the Congress and a number of other smaller Opposition parties were extending support to the bandh.

''Our bandh is against police torture, barbarism and the fascist activities of the Left Front Government,'' she said after her party MLAs went berserk in the Assembly lobby.

UNI BA RL PM1036