Click to play videoNew Delhi: Forward Bloc, the ruling Left Front's constituent in West Bengal has called for a 24-hour bandh across the state in protest over the death of party workers on Tuesday.
At least six Forward Bloc activists succumbed to bullet injuries after police opened fire at Dinhata in West Bengal's Coochbehar district on Tuesday afternoon.
Party sources, however, claimed that six of their supporters were killed in the incident and many injured.
"It is a very shocking incident. It is an unprecedented police firing. Of the four who died in the firing two persons could not be identified. The brain matter of one of them had come out and his head was severed," Forward Bloc state secretary Ashok Ghosh was quoted by news agencies as saying.
He said that the firing was barbaric and that the Forward Bloc did not want an inquiry into the matter as "it would not yield any results". He said that it was up to the people to give a verdict and thus the party had called for a shutdown.
He blamed the CPI-M of establishing one party rule in the state "in the name of the Left Front". "We were protesting against this. Our state party conference meeting at Bolpur recently decided to launch a state-wide demonstration from January 8 to protest against corruption and maladministration in the panchayats in the state."
However, in the same breath, Ghosh stated that there was no question of his party leaving the nine-party Left Front coalition over the issue.
The incident took place at a time when relations between CPI-M on the one hand and Forward Bloc and RSP on the other have come under strain following their public criticism of the lead partner's armed recapture of Nandigram and the industrial policy of Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacherjee government.
The Chief Minister has ordered an administrative inquiry into the incident.
Forward Bloc Workers Killed
Police said they opened fire after the mob — which was demonstrating before the office of the sub-divisional officer — attacked policemen and baton-charge and teargas failed. News agencies reported that at least 12 policemen were injured when Forward Bloc activists threw stones at them.
The mob also ransacked public offices and set police vehicles on fire.
Forward Bloc activists were protesting against the government’s economic policies. The party organised a statewide protest to demand minimum 100 days' employment for the jobless, cancellation of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) policy to secure farmers' land rights, and job quotas for Muslims.
It also wanted a bar on the "unbridled entry" of national and multinational biggies in retail business in the state.
On Wednesday, shops were closed and rail and road transport was also hit by the bandh. Few vehicles, including government buses, were seen plying on the roads, police said.
The Trinamool Congress, Congress and Socialist Unity Centre of India (SUCI) are also supporting Wednesday's bandh.
"It is a shame. The police in West Bengal have turned trigger-happy and we had been long protesting against this undemocratic behaviour of the police to silence democratic movements," said Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee.
In West Bengal, the Forward Bloc has 23 seats in the 294-member state Assembly.
While the total strength of Left Front in the assembly is 235, with the CPI-M alone accounting for 176 seats, the Bloc is the second largest Front partner since other allies like Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) and Communist Party of India (CPI) account for 20 and eight seats respectively.
The Trinamool Congress, which is trying to woo Left constituents like the Forward Bloc and RSP, has 30 seats in the Assembly.
Police Detain Bandh Supporters
Meanwhile, IGP (Law and Order) Raj Kanojia said 41 bandh supporters had been arrested from different districts either for squatting on railway tracks or putting up road blockades at many important crossings in the districts disrupting road and rail traffic.
In all, 166 bandh supporters have been arrested for putting up road blockades in many areas.
This bandh is also different because from the others that the state has seen is becuase is has been called by a constituent of the ruling Left Front - Forward Bloc.
But will such simmering tensions lead to a split?
Forward Bloc leader Devarajan said there is no possibility of a split in the Left Front although the party is contesting the elections in Tripura alone for the first time.
"It is not a question of splitting of the Left Front. There is confusion among the Left Front in West Bengal. Forward Block has been trying to raise some issues but the ruling left party the CPI-M has consistently ignored it. That's why all this is happening across the state. The creation of Left Front was not just by the CPI-M but it's a people's movement where all the Left parties had contributed," Devarajan said.
He added: "Yesterday's incident has changed this whole course of the Left movement. Therefore it is necessary for all the Left parties to come together and use their wisdom and take necessary corrective measures or else there will be a problem for the Left Front not only in West Bengal but throughout the country."
(With inputs from agencies)
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