Kolkata, Sep 26 (UNI) BJP's Bengal unit president Dilip Ghosh today claimed their 12-hours statewide shutdown to protest the killing of two youths at Islampur, North Dinajpur, was successful, saying shops, markets, and educational institutions were closed despite the government made all attempts to keep them opening.
Leading a procession from Gariahat to Hazra in south Kolkata, Mr Ghosh said the strike was successful as the people responded to the shut down.
He said, despite the government deployed maximum fleet of buses on the roads, most of the public buses were either empty or few people on the board.
He also said the private buses were also off the roads.
However, state transport minister Suvendu Adhikari claimed the strike was totally failure.
He said, the buses plied on the usual routes, barring attacks on 8 to 9 government vehicles across the state.
The attendance at the State Secretariat, Nabanna, was totally normal.
The pro-bandh supporters torched a government bus at Islampur, where the two youths were killed on Thursday during the students-police clashes over appointment of two teachers at Darivit HS in North Dinajpur district.
The protesters set fire on the parked bus, which reduced to ashes and then pelted stones when policemen arrived. Another bus was also damaged at Farm Colony, also at Islampur.
A government bus was also torched at Jhargram in West Medinipur where the bandh supporters also pushed the burning vehicle into a road side ditch.
Police fired tear gas cells at Mekhligunj in Cooch Behar district to disperse the warring rival supporters of TMC and BJP.
BJP's front ranking leader Sayantan Bose among others 80 supporters have been arrested from Siliguri for obstruction of traffic.
Reports of affected train services have also arrived from various districts.
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