Woman cop roughed up by some Left workers

Kolkata: Lakhs of people braved the inclement weather and thronged the penultimate day of the 44th Kolkata International Book Fair (KIBF) at Central Park on Saturday but the day was marked by protests from a section of Calcutta University students who raised slogans against Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) as BJP leader Rahul Sinha visited a stall at the Book Fair. Later, allegedly, a scuffle broke out and some Left students resorted to hooliganism and beat up a woman police constable.

At Vishwa Hindu Parishad's 'Janabarta' stall, a group of students from Calcutta University started sloganeering and protesting against the citizenship law around the BJP leader. BJP workers obstructed it. It is alleged several BJP leaders are visiting the stall selling books on CAA and NRC. Within a few minutes, police reached the arrived at the scene and arrested several protesters.

After the incident, Sinha left the book fair after the stall with police security.

"They are doing so to unnecessarily hog the limelight," said Sinha.

After the police detained some of the agitating students and took them to the control room at the book fair, the rest of the agitators reached there and demanded the release of their allies. Meanwhile, the police made attempts to take the detained students to Bidhanngar North police station. A scuffle took place between the agitators and the police and later after they were taken to Bidhanngar North police station, the agitators went there and amidst the pandemonium, a woman police constable was beaten up by the students.

Meanwhile, the students alleged that some BJP supporters who were accompanying Rahul Sinha had molested them and they had gone to lodge a police complaint in this regard. Russia is the theme country in the KIBF.

On the inauguration day, thirteen books written by Banerjee — six in Bengali, six in English and one in Urdu — were released. Of these, the most talked about and preferred among the book lovers is 'Why We Are Saying No CAA No NRC No NPR'. Banerjee's book Nagarikatta Aatanko (Fear of Citizenship) was released by noted essayist Nrisingha Prasad Bhaduri at 44th Kolkata International Book Fair in Central Park on Tuesday.

All her books are now available at the Jago Bangla stall at the ongoing book fair in Central Park. One of the books is a collection of 946 Bengali poems christened Kabita Bitan, penned by the Trinamool Congress supremo who also paints and composes

songs. "There will be 25 sessions in the three-day KLF. Renowned authors from India and abroad will come and talk about the influence of literature in their respective countries. The sessions will be concluded with a cultural function every day. In the evening, there will be music performance," said Sujata Sen, director of KLF.