B’desh youth killing: City on edge as protests lead to clashes, traffic chaos

Kolkata witnessed fresh unrest on Wednesday over protests against the killing of a Bangladeshi youth, with tensions flaring across multiple locations in the city and its outskirts, including the Howrah Bridge and near the Petrapole border in North 24-Parganas.

Several Hindu organisations staged demonstrations near the Petrapole border in Bongaon, prompting the administration to deploy a huge contingent of police and paramilitary forces to prevent any untoward incident. The situation remained tense but under control, officials said. In Kolkata, the BJP’s pre-announced programme to blockade the iconic Howrah Bridge led to chaos and traffic disruption in the central part of the city. Anticipating trouble, police had already fortified the area with barricades and personnel.

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BJP leaders and workers began marching towards the bridge on Wednesday morning but were stopped by police before they could access it. Denied permission to proceed, protesters entered into heated arguments with the police and sat down on the road, raising slogans. Attempts by the demonstrators to break through police barricades led to scuffles, creating a near battlefield-like situation. The police tried to disperse the crowd, resulting in a brief clash.

Traffic on Howrah Bridge and surrounding arterial roads was severely affected for several hours, causing inconvenience to commuters. The protests stem from the alleged lynching of Dipu Das in Mymensingh district of Bangladesh. Reports of the incident triggered outrage in parts of West Bengal and other states, leading to a series of demonstrations over the past two days.

On Tuesday, areas around Beck Bagan in central Kolkata turned volatile following a call by several Sangh Parivar-affiliated organisations, including the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, ABVP and Hindu Jagran Manch, to march towards the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission. Police stopped the protesters before they could reach the mission, leading to clashes and a heavy security lockdown in the area. Protesters claimed they wanted to submit a memorandum to the Deputy High Commission condemning the killing. As police tried to prevent the march, tensions escalated rapidly. Although the BJP was not formally part of the Beck Bagan protest initially, senior party leaders reached the spot as the situation worsened. Later, the party announced its plan to blockade Howrah Bridge on Wednesday. Leader of Opposition in Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari yesterday indicated that the agitation would intensify in the coming days.

Warning of stronger protests, he said the movement would continue if their voices were not heard. Police officials said adequate measures had been taken across sensitive zones in the city to maintain law and order. Security has been tightened at diplomatic locations, major bridges and border areas as the situation continues to be closely monitored.