Sukhomoy Sen Traffic was chocked in the heart of the city on Monday…
Around 3 pm, stranded motorists and bus passengers got off their vehicles and forcibly removed barricades put up by the protesters, prompting the lawyers to withdraw from the road. Rajesh Das, a pool-car driver, said it took him more than one hour 40 minutes to ferry six children from classes 1 to 6 from their school near Hind Cinema to Behala. The traffic chaos was further compounded by an SFI road blockade and demonstration later in the afternoon at College Street as protesters demanded the release of Akash Kar, the North 24 Parganas district secretary who was arrested following a political clash in Birati last week.
Some lawyers objected to the egg attack and were subsequently assaulted, according to the protesting advocates. The lawyers blocked roads around Bankshall Court and GPO, protesting the alleged assault on three advocates during a skirmish at the court complex last Thursday. The incident occurred after eggs were allegedly thrown at a section of lawyers in connection with the production of YouTuber Dipak Byapari in court. The lawyers chased one of the alleged attackers and handed him over to Hare Street police. The standoff eventually triggered anger among commuters. Police later assured the advocates that a section of them had been called to Lalbazar for discussions on the investigation and the progress of arrests. The disruption also affected school transport.
Kolkata: Central Kolkata witnessed prolonged traffic disruption on Monday as a three-hour road blockade by agitating lawyers of Bankshall Court, followed by an SFI demonstration, brought traffic on several key roads to a near standstill, leaving commuters, schoolchildren and office-goers stranded for hours amid the additional pressure of puja shopping crowds. Police arrested another accused on Sunday, while at least two others are yet to be traced.
“Our agitation and this blockade are against this inaction,” he said, adding that the blockade would continue until police commissioner arrived. The protesting lawyers demanded the arrest of the remaining accused and sought police action in the case. A lawyer alleged that despite the accused being named, police were not cooperating with the investigation.