Bengal BJP president, workers detained for blocking road

Kolkata, Nov 8 (IANS) West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh and several other party leaders were detained by the police on Tuesday while agitating against the withdrawal of permission to them to hold a protest demonstration.

The BJP workers, led by Ghosh, blocked Central Avenue as they were not permitted to hold the pre-scheduled rally and demonstration by the police.

The state BJP condemned the incident as perpetration of "jungle raj (lawlessness) by the police and state government".

"State BJP was stopped from holding a peaceful demonstration at College Square on Tuesday by the police administration though the permission was granted on November 4," the party said in a release.

The Bharatiya Janata Party was supposed to hold the protest rally from Sealdah to College Square, followed by a demonstration at the College Square ground in support of its demand for land and other rights of the erstwhile enclave dwellers.

Police though, have denied permitting the party to hold a demonstration.

"They were never allowed to hold any demonstration or rally in College Square," Joint Commissioner of Police (Headquarters) Supratim Sarkar said.

"As many as 27 BJP workers, including seven women, were detained for blocking a busy road in the city," he said.