Traffic chokes city as ABVP protests against Umar Khalid

Hundreds of ABVP supporters started gathering in front of the Bharat Sabha hall on Saturday morning to protest against the entry of Umar Khalid, a student from Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi to the Bharat Sabha hall. Claiming Khalid to be ‘an anti-national’, ABVP workers said that they would not allow him to enter into the prestigious hall. He was scheduled to attend a programme.

People who were travelling in various vehicles were severely inconvenienced after hundreds of ABVP supporters shouted their slogans against Umar leading to heavy traffic congestion on the BB Ganguly street on Saturday afternoon. The vehicles remained stranded from bumper to bumper.

A huge contingent of police was deployed at the spot to bring the situation under control. Police in the initiation level appealed the demonstrators to lift the agitations but they remained unmoved and went ahead with the protest. As the situation gradually went beyond control the police arrested the demonstrators and brought the situation under control.

It may be mentioned here that in April, JNU had rusticated Umar in connection with an incident taking place inside the university campus in which ‘anti-national’ slogans were allegedly raised. The incident had created much furore across the country. ABVP leaders in the state were trying to gain some political advantage out of these issues. 

When they came to know that Umar was supposed to come to the city to attend a programme at Bharat Sabha hall they chalked out their political strategy.

The city has already seen similar unrestness in Jadavpur University few days ago when a clash broke out between the ABVP activists and the students belonging to the left winged organisations over the screening of a film. Some students had alleged that some of the ABVP supporters allegedly molested them when the trouble broke out inside the campus. ABVP also organised a rally from Golpark to Jadavpur to counter students’ rally and also to show out their strength.

Though, no untoward incidents were reported from Saturday’s incident as police had swung into the action promptly to bring the situation under control.