Strike paralysed Siliguri

The 24-hour north Bengal bandh convened by the Bangla O Bangla Bhasa Bachao Committee (BOBBBC) and supported by Aamra Bangali paralysed life in Siliguri today. The shutdown was called in protest against “vandalism being indulged in by GJMM activists in the Terai-Dooars region”. The bandh was by and large peaceful.

Most of the offices and banks, both public and private, and educational institutions were closed. Traffic was off the roads save for a few state transport buses. The principal markets in the town and most of the retail shops were shut. The BOBBBC and the Aamra Bangali activists staged several rallies today, which traversed the main thoroughfares of the town. BOBBBC president Dr Mukunda Majumder claimed the bandh was total in Siliguri. “We demand prompt scrapping of the DGHC and deployment of Army to quell the cult of anti-state violence being perpetrated by the GJMM,” he said. Echoing the view, the Darjeeling district Aamra Bangali president Mr Khusi Ranjan Mondal said that the “total and spontaneous” bandh was testimony to the growing public wrath against the GJMM. “The Centre and the state government can ill afford to ignore the majority sentiment,” he said. MORE...