BALURGHAT: A BJP rally in support of Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Hili on Wednesday afternoon turned a flop-show as protestors had a tussle with the police and district administration.
A few BJP activists led by the party's district unit president Binay Barman took part in the rally. According to a police source, a march led by BJP leaders — Binay Barman, Nilanjan Roy, Subhendu Sarkar and Bapi Sarkar — was stopped by law enforcers who put up barricades across the area on Hili hospital road and Balurghat-Hili National Highway 512.
Protestors had a tussle with police personnel while requesting the officials them to remove the barricades and cordon off the area. When the activists found it difficult to proceed further, they staged demonstration blocking the NH for about half an hour.
People had to face a lot of trouble as there was huge congestion on both sides of the road. International trade through Hili corridor to Bangladesh was also hit as loaded trucks were stranded before the check-post. As the situation turned critical, additional police chief Debasish Nandi, requested the protestors to lift the blockade from the national highway. Normalcy restored after an hour.
A local TMC leader Subhas Chaki said the BJP was misleading people on CAA and NRC. "Chief minister Mamata Banerjee has appealed to restore peace but BJP leaders are instigating people to create violence."