Left Front-sponsored bandh begins in West Bengal

Kolkata: The statewide six-hour bandh called by the Left Front against pre-panchayat poll violence in West Bengal began from 6 am today amidst elaborate security arrangements. Public transport was available on the city roads since early morning, flight services remained normal while train services in the suburban sections of the South Eastern Railway and the Eastern Railway remained mostly normal.

Metro rail services were also normal. Educational institutions were open. Calcutta University and the CBSE authorities had said that the examination schedule would not be altered in view of the bandh. “Everything is normal and peaceful. People have come out as usual. There is no bandh,” state Information Technology Minister and Dumdum MLA Bratya Basu said.

Basu took a stock of the situation in and around his constituency this morning. The Kolkata Police officials said no one would be allowed to disrupt normal life in the city and strict action would be initiated against those who tried to do so. The state government had yesterday directed its employees to report for work today.

No casual leaves would be allowed in the first or second half of the day, the state government had said in a notification. The Left Front had called the bandh in protest against the throttling of democracy during filing of nomination for panchayat polls in the state.