Kolkata: Police vandalise several trucks in New Alipore over parking issue

Kolkata Police said that three personnel were suspended in this case.

Pankaj Kumar, head of the Alipore Truck Owners Association, stated that no prior notice was issued by the police regarding this matter.

"This has been done by New Alipore Police. We received a call yesterday and we sent driver immediately. As soon as they went ahead to move the vehicles, they were beaten up. You can see the damage they did to these vehicles. They said not to park vehicles here. After protests, they sent us a letter asking us to park the vehicles here and not on the main road. There is not enough space at the siding to park a loaded truck there...The Police are not cooperating with us. They had not given us any notice beforehand, Kumar told ANI.

"We were only told two days ago not to park the trucks here as it is causing difficulty for the ambulance as there is a hospital here...30-35 trucks have been vandalised...," he further said.

Earlier in West Bengal, left-wing parties' trade unions staged a 'Bharat Bandh' and alleged that the central government had been pushing economic reforms that weakened workers' rights.

10 central trade unions had called the Bandh.

Defying police presence, members of the Left parties' union entered Jadavpur railway station in West Bengal to block the railway tracks, marking their protest against the central government's "pro-corporate" policies. Left parties' unions also took out a foot march in Jadavpur.

A bus driver said, "These people are saying the right thing (referring to the 'Bharat Bandh'), but we have to do our work. We are workers, so we support (the 'Bandh')... We are wearing it (helmet) for protection in case something happens."

Under the 'Bandh', sectors such as state-run public transport, government offices, public sector units, banking and insurance services, postal operations, coal mining and industrial production were affected. (ANI)