Center trade unions across the country had called out for a nation wide bandh on Friday. The proposed bandh took a hit on the public life with violence erupting in parts of TMC ruled Bengal. This comes after an announcement by the Mamata Banerjee government to oppose the trade strike.
In a few unconfirmed events, there were a number of clashes between the trade workers and police in parts of Bengal including the capital city, Kolkata. The workers of CITU held large protests against the government and urged the government to fulfill their demands.
In another big event, Mayor of Siliguri Municipal Corporation, Ashok Bhattacharya was arrested with around 15 of his supporters for opposing the government’s announcement. Also in the Cooch Behar district of Bengal, the protestors attached a NBSTC bus before eventually vandalizing it.
A political leader from the ruling party stated that there are quite a few clashes because of the government openly opposing the bandh. He further added that the trade unions and workers can always seek direct contact to talk on their demands and added that the activities like this are never in nation’s interest as they hit public life in a big way.