Matua community holds demonstrations across Bengal

Kolkata: Members of the Matua community staged demonstrations at different parts of the state, protesting against the exclusion of the names of 40 lakh Bengalis in the final draft of Assam's National Register of Citizens (NRC).

It may be mentioned that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had stated that with exclusion of their names, the people have turned refugees in their own country and it is the outcome of BJP's "vote politics".

Stating that the "people are being isolated", the Chief Minister had said: "BJP's divide and rule policy to isolate people has led to the situation."

The Chief Minister, who is in Delhi at present, criticised the government at the Centre over Assam's NRC issue.

The protest started at around 8 am and continued till noon. People from the community carried out agitation mainly in North 24-Parganas and Nadia districts. They also put up a symbolic railway blockade at Panihati Railway Station.

With the protest, there was a disruption in train services since morning at different stations of Sealdah Division.

There were obstructions at various stations of the Sealdah-Ranaghat Main Line, Sealdah-Bangaon, Sealdah-Dankuni and Barasat Hansnabad sections.

There were obstructions at Sandalia, New Barrackpore, Gobardanga, Dum Dum, Belghoria, Ichhapur, Kanchrapara, Chakdaha, Halisahar, Bira, Naihati, Titagarh, Palta, Baranagar, Sodepur, Dankuni, Machlandapur, Habra, Ashoknagar, Duttapukur, Bamangachi, Barrackpore, Badkulla,

Bongaon, Ranaghat, Akaipur, and Thakurnagar.

The train services resumed at around 12 noon. There was cancellation of 51 local trains of Sealdah Division.

People from the Matua community also protested against the move by putting up a roadblock at Bagnan in Howrah on National Highway 6, demanding immediate steps so that people do not turn refugees in their own country.

There were long queues of vehicles on the national highway. It took some time to normalise the traffic movement after the demonstration was withdrawn.

Commuters were greatly inconvenienced as train services in the main section were badly hit. The demonstration was lifted and train services became normal from noon.