A tense situation unfolded at Ghari More in Chinsurah, Hooghly, on Monday during a ‘Jail Bharo’ protest organised by Left parties. Clashes broke out when protesters allegedly tried to breach police barricades while marching to submit a deputation.
Left leaders and workers accused the police of resorting to a lathi charge. Several Left workers, including former CPI(M) MLA Amjad Hossain, were detained.
Protesters march towards DM’s office
According to reports, members of various Left-backed organisations began their march from Hooghly More in the afternoon. The procession ended at Akhan Bazar, where the protesters also held a street meeting. After the meeting, the Left workers and supporters proceeded towards the Hooghly District Magistrate’s office to submit a deputation containing 11 demands.
Left workers allege police lathi charge
Police had put up three layers of barricades outside the DM’s office. The protesters allegedly crossed the first two barricades but were stopped by the police at the third. An altercation followed, with the situation eventually turning into a scuffle.
Left leaders alleged that the police carried out a lathi charge without provocation. Several workers and supporters were detained, including former CPI(M) MLA Amjad Hossain.
What are the Left’s demands?
- The protesters raised several demands, including:
- Protecting public interest instead of corporate interests.
- Repealing the labour codes, which they described as anti-worker.
- Increasing employment opportunities and minimum wages.
- Providing legal guarantees for remunerative prices for farmers’ produce and a one-time waiver of agricultural loans.
- Restoring MGNREGA, with a demand for 200 days of work annually and a daily wage of ₹600.
- Controlling rising prices and introducing a universal public distribution system.
- Immediately restoring the names of every eligible voter excluded from the electoral rolls during the SIR exercise.
Before being detained, former CPI(M) MLA Amjad Hossain alleged that both the Centre and the state government were not following the law.
SIR excluded voters seek immediate inclusion
Our longstanding demands include repealing the black labour codes, ensuring fair prices for farmers and immediately restoring the 100-day work scheme. This was a completely peaceful democratic civil disobedience movement. The police unnecessarily injured several of our workers and arrested them unjustly. Women workers were also attacked. Our fight against this will continue,
Hossain said.
Following the incident, tension prevailed for some time in the Ghari More area of Chinsurah. Police later brought the situation under control.
