West Bengal CM Adhikari condemns attack on police, journalists during NEET protest in Kolkata; orders strict action

CM Adhikari met with the injured at SSKM Hospital in Kolkata and shared details in a post on X. The Chief Minister instructed authorities to ensure the best possible treatment for those injured during the protests and initiate strict action against those responsible.

"I strongly condemn the brutal attack by miscreants on Police Personnel and Journalists in Kolkata today. Several injured Journalists are currently undergoing treatment at SSKM Hospital. I visited the Hospital to meet the injured Journalists and personally enquired about their health. I have issued directions to ensure that they receive the best treatment possible. Strict legal action will be taken against all the culprits involved. I have asked the CP Kolkata Police to identify the miscreants and initiate legal action against them," he said.

West Bengal Leader of the Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee also met the injured at SSKM Hospital and called for swift action against those responsible.

"Met my injured journalist friends today at SSKM Hospital. Words fall short to condemn such a brutal and heinous assault on media persons. Strong action against the thugs is the need of the hour," said Ritabrata Banerjee.

Several protests broke out across Kolkata on Friday in solidarity with the ongoing Jantar Mantar agitation against paper leaks and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

Members of the All India Democratic Students' Organisation (AIDSO) staged a demonstration in Kolkata over the NEET paper leak issue, during which some protesters were seen throwing bottles.

Speaking on the student demonstration at Dorina Crossing, Additional CP DP Singh said, "Their procession is still arriving, and we are waiting for it to fully assemble at Dorina. We are talking to their leaders to manage the crowd at Dorina Crossing--one of Kolkata's most important intersections. Since there are many small groups gathered here, I am trying to persuade them to vacate Dorina as quickly as possible... We have a sufficient police force deployed and are fully capable of handling any situation. We are repeatedly working to ensure their peaceful demonstration remains peaceful so that they can disperse once it concludes. They had permission to proceed up to Dharmatala. Because the procession is moving slowly, we cannot engage with them further until the entire rally arrives." (ANI)