Left Front demands probe into Bhangar killings

Kolkata, Jan 20 (IANS) A section of Left Front activists on Friday held a demonstration here demanding a probe into the killing of two villagers in West Bengal's Bhangar over the ongoing anti-land acquisition movement.

Led by CPI-M leader Sujan Chakraborty and Kanti Ganguly, the activists blocked the gate of Milan Mela grounds in the eastern fringes of the city where the third edition of the ruling Trinamool Congress-organised "Bengal Global Business Summit" is being held.

Holding aloft placards and black flags, the agitators clashed with police in front of the venue on the arterial stretch Eastern Metropolitan Bypass.

Traffic was halted as several protesters squatted on the road.

A section of the demonstrators were held and taken to Kolkata police headquarters in Lalbazar, police said.

"Some protesters, including Chakraborty, Ganguly and Anadi Sahoo were held on the spot," said Supratim Sarkar, Joint Commissioner of Police Headquarters.

Chakraborty, also the Left Front legislature party leader, who was at the forefront of the protest, said the government is playing out a "drama" in the name of business summit and demanded a judicial inquiry into the killings at Bhangar.

"This government is anti-industry, anti-employment and anti-youth. They have already once destroyed such a prospective investment in Singur. Now they are wasting people's money in the name of business summit. This is nothing but a drama," Chakraborty told IANS.

"This government is placing common man's land in the hand of land mafias and killing the innocent farmers. They are helping out the mafias in the name of industry. We demand judicial inquiry into the killing of two innocent farmers in Bhangar," he added.