West Bengal BJP’s march to Nabanna turns violent as clashes erupted between its party workers and police outside the Bengal government secretariat on Thursday.

BJP workers had set ablaze tires in Howrah during party’s state-wide ‘Nabanna Chalo’ agitation against the alleged killings of its workers.

Police personnel dressed in riot gear were seen trying to disperse the crowd with tear gas and water cannons as stones were thrown from the other side.

In order to stop the march, which was organised by the Yuva Morcha wing of the BJP, the police had installed barricades at the secretariat.

BJP workers tried to break police barricade put in place to stop their ‘Nabanna Chalo’ agitation against the alleged killing of party workers in the state.

Four major rallies, two from Kolkata and two from Howrah moved towards Bengal secretariat Nabanna. The police had barricaded Hastings, Central Avenue, Santragachi and Howrah Maidan areas to prevent the party from holding the rally.

BJP youth wing that had organised a march to Nabanna  on Thursday, with a seven point charter of demands, that included  the deterioration of law and order situation in the state. BJP’s youth wing chief Tejasvi Surya had also flown down to the city to take part in the protest.

Senior BJP leaders like Arjun Singh, Kailash Vijayvargiya, Locket Chatterjee and Mukul Roy were present at the march site. BJP’s state vice-president Raju Banerjee, was also injured in the clashes along with party workers.

BJP’s youth wing chief Tejasvi Surya tweeted, “This is what fascism looks like! Country bombs hurled at our rally by TMC goons from rooftops. Tear gas and water canons launched against a peaceful march. The tyrant’s time is coming to an end.”

The Bengal BJP’s  Twitter handle in  series of tweets questioned the government and the state’s police actions. BJP said, “BJP #NabannoCholo Police torture in the operation! Didi, this stain will be erased, but the people of Bengal will not forget your dictatorial rule. People will give the answer in the 2021 election.”

In another tweet, BJP said, “Didi will stop the BJP with the police? This is how the BJP leadership and workers will protest on the streets. The protest will continue …”

The Mamata Banerjee led West Bengal government has denied permission to the opposition party to hold its protest march to the state secretariat Nabanna on Thursday citing the pandemic and had   granted permission for peaceful and democratic rallies within “permissible parameters” of only 100 people.

Amid the plan for protest, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has declared a two-day holiday at Nabanna on Thursday and Friday. She cited sanitization as the reason for the shutdown.

Earlier, Bengal BJP chief Dilip Ghosh had said, “We will knowingly break Section 144 at Nabanna.”

Accusing the state government of singling out the party, he said political parties including the ruling Trinamool Congress, holds protests and rallies in prohibited areas.

“Mamta didi is scared of the BJP. I have heard that she has closed the Chief Minister’s Office. I like this fear, it signals Parivartan (change) in Bengal,” said Tejasvi Surva who reached Kolkata yesterday to attend the protest march.