Normal life was disrupted across West Bengal on Thursday as enraged Congress party workers torched buses and obstructed rail and road traffic in protest against the attack on their party legislators on Wednesday in Mangalkot in Burdwan district.
The Congress activists set fire to a bus on Howrah bridge, which links Kolkata with the busy Howrah railway station, police said. "They (Congress workers) have obstructed all major road junctions across the state," said a police officer.
Suburban and long distance train services of eastern and southeastern railway were badly hit as party activists blocked railway tracks.
Congress legislature party leader Manas Bhuinya told reporters that a 12-hour shutdown had been called in 12 of the 19 districts of the state on Friday. "The shutdown call has been given by our district units spontaneously," Bhuinya said.
Eight Congress legislators of West Bengal were injured on Wednesday when they were allegedly attacked by armed Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) cadres in a village.
A 14-member Congress delegation led by Bhuinya had entered Dhanyarukhi village in Burdwan district around 3.10 pm for distributing relief to party supporters whose houses have been burnt after the murder of CPI-M district committee member Falguni Mukherjee when the attack took place.
{{/usCountry}}A 14-member Congress delegation led by Bhuinya had entered Dhanyarukhi village in Burdwan district around 3.10 pm for distributing relief to party supporters whose houses have been burnt after the murder of CPI-M district committee member Falguni Mukherjee when the attack took place.
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