Bangla Bandh evokes moderate response,one killed seven injured

Kolkata, Dec 1 (UNI) At least one person was killed and seven others sustained injuries in separate incidents of violence in the Trinamool Congress sponsored 12-hour Bangla Bandh which evoked partial response all over the state today.

State Inspector General of Police Law and Order Raj Kanojia told UNI that 45 year old state government employee Pranay Das was killed on the spot and four other passengers sustained injuries when a group of bandh supporters pelted stones on a government bus in which they were travelling at Serapore Crossing near Raigunj in North Dinajpur district at around 1200 noon.

Later the Trinamool Congress supporters also set fire to the bus.

But soon police intervened and brought the situation under control.

Seven protestors were arrested in this connection.

In another incident, the bandh agitators pelted stons at and damaged the Kolkata-Dhaka bus near the border town of Bongoan in North 24 Parganas district. Two people were arrested in this connection.

He however, claimed that barring these incidents the overall situation in the state remaned by and large peaceful so far with more than 370 people arrested for disrupting life.

Referring to the arrest of a number of senior Trinamool Congress leaders while agitating in support of the bandh, Mr Kanojia said reports of some temporary disruption to traffic and forceful implementation of bandh were also coming in from several areas both in and outside the city.

He said attendance in government offices in most parts of the state was reported near normal, the movement of traffic was also by and large as usual though the number of passengers were very few.Though Metro rail services and the flights from the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International airport operated normally,Train services of both the Eastern and South Eastern Railway were disrupted to some extent in the morning by the demonstrators at various stations.

Eds: Pick up suitably from ca 18 agitation-bengal-lead Bandh.

UNI ABA BA YA KP1452