Supporters of the BJP and other right-wing organisations staged protests across Kolkata and its outskirts on Saturday over reports of arson, looting and the killing of members of the Hindu minority in Bangladesh.

In Sodepur, on the northern fringes of the city, Trinamool Congress MP from Dum Dum, Saugata Roy, was forced to get out of his vehicle and walk for about a kilometre before taking an auto-rickshaw, as BJP supporters blocked the Sodepur–Madhyamgram Road.

Similar demonstrations were reported from the CIT Road–Beckbagan area in central Kolkata, as well as parts of Howrah and elsewhere in the state. Groups of saffron-clad youths blocked traffic for around half an hour at several locations, demanding protection for Hindus in Bangladesh.

In Sodepur, Roy, who was on his way to inaugurate the Panihati Utsav winter carnival, remained stranded in his car for nearly half an hour after protesters refused to lift the blockade and allow his vehicle to pass.

Around 100 activists of the BJP’s youth wing in North 24 Parganas district were seen burning tyres on the road and raising slogans against Bangladesh’s interim government chief adviser Muhammad Yunus, Islamist fundamentalists, and what they described as anti-India demonstrations in the neighbouring country.

A BJP leader alleged that recent incidents, including the killing of a Hindu youth and attacks on cultural institutions and media offices, showed that extremist elements were dominating the situation in Bangladesh, adding that the protests were aimed at opposing attacks on minorities.

Speaking to reporters, Roy said, “We all condemn what is happening in Bangladesh. But there is little point in trying to whip up passion and frenzy here in West Bengal — a land of amity and harmony — where the rule of law prevails.” He added that while everyone had the right to peaceful protest in a democracy, he chose to leave his car and proceed on foot or by auto-rickshaw.

Similar protests, involving road blockades and tyre burning, were also held in other parts of the state, with demonstrators reiterating demands for the protection of Hindu minorities in Bangladesh.

(PTI)