West Bengal bandh: Buses torched, trains blocked by protesters

TIL Desk/National/Kolkata/ Train services were disrupted at some stations in West Bengal during a 12-hour bandh called by the Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday to protest the killing of two students in a clash in North Dinajpur district, railway officials said. No untoward incident was, however, reported during the blockades put up by bandh supporters at the stations, a police official said.

Transport services were normal in the city though bus drivers were seen wearing helmets. Bandh supporters had squatted on the tracks at Barasat, Krishnagar and some stations in Sealdah division for 5-10 minutes in the morning, but the blockade has been lifted, an Eastern Railway spokesman said.

At present, train services in the Eastern Railway, including suburban services, are normal, he said. Party workers are staging blockades at Chengail, Andul and Ramrajatala stations in the Howrah-Kharagpur section of the South Eastern Railway, affecting suburban train services in the section, SER Central Public Relations Officer Sanjoy Ghosh said.

A huge police contingent has been deployed in the city to avoid any untoward incident during the shutdown and no untoward incident has been reported in the metropolis since 6 am, a police official said.