West Bengal witnessed sporadic violence and escalating political tensions on Wednesday as supporters of a nationwide general strike clashed with police and Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers in several districts. The strike, backed by 10 central trade unions, was called to protest against liberalisation, price rise, unemployment, and contractual labour.
Despite heavy police deployment, Left-wing protestors disrupted normal life by blocking roads and railway tracks across the state, leading to chaos in public transport and disruptions in banking services. In Kolkata’s Ganguly Bagan, CPI(M) and DYFI workers clashed with police while trying to enforce the shutdown, threatening shopkeepers and burning effigies. The police quickly intervened, dispersing the crowd and detaining several, including SFI leader Srijan Bhattacharya, who alleged that peaceful demonstrators were manhandled.
Violent scuffles were also reported from College Street, Howrah’s Domjur, and Siliguri, where a bandh supporter was caught on camera knocking off a police officer’s cap. In Buniadpur, a police inspector was filmed slapping a CPI-M leader during a heated exchange. In Cooch Behar’s Tufangunj, clashes erupted between CITU and INTTUC workers, further intensifying tensions.
Rampurhat and other towns like Kirnahar and Durgapur saw similar confrontations, with rail tracks and highways becoming battlegrounds. Protestors in multiple areas including Shyamnagar, Uluberia, and Lalgola attempted to halt trains, forcing the authorities to deploy railway police and cordon off key junctions.
The Mamata Banerjee-led government made additional transport and security arrangements to maintain order, sticking to its zero-tolerance policy against enforced shutdowns. However, the CPI-M and Congress accused the TMC of acting like the BJP and suppressing democratic protests.
“This strike targeted BJP policies, yet TMC cracked down harder than anyone,” said CPI-M’s Sujan Chakraborty. Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury also slammed the TMC, alleging it was acting as a BJP proxy.
TMC hit back strongly, calling the bandh “hooliganism in the name of protest.” Party leader Debangshu Bhattacharya questioned the logic of enforcing strikes in a state that has officially opposed bandhs since 2011. He also pointed out that even the Left-led Kerala government had issued warnings against the strike.
With Bengal turning into a flashpoint for ideological and political confrontations, Wednesday’s events underline the deepening divide and the rising stakes ahead of crucial elections.
