Kolkata: SFI President detained; activists block city road in protest

The Students' Federation of India (SFI) activists blocked College Street in central Kolkata in protest against the detention of the student organisation's State President Pratikur Rahman on Tuesday, July 11, during the counting of votes cast during the panchayat poll at Diamond Harbour. Around 50 SFI members squatted on the road in front of the Presidency University campus disrupting vehicular traffic on College Street for around half an hour.

Giving more details, the police official said, Rahman was briefly detained in Diamond Harbour, along with few other Left party workers for protesting against the alleged stamping of empty ballot papers just before the counting began. The demonstrators lifted the blockade after half an hour, the official added, as stated in a report by PTI.

Speaking more on this, SFI Presidency Unit President Anandarupa Dhar said, "TMC goons who openly flaunted arms and looted ballots were not touched. But our leader Pratikur Rahman was detained by the police for staging peaceful protest outside Fakirchand College counting centre in Diamond Harbour against false voting by TMC in the panchayat poll."

Further, "The ruling TMC unleashed a reign of terror across West Bengal during the panchayat election — from the day of filing of nominations to the day of voting — attacking and scaring political opponents of the Left Front with impunity as the police became mute spectator," he added. 

TMC Chhatra Parishad State President and Party State Spokesperson, Trinankur Bhattacharya, said, "The Left should introspect. It has lost its relevance as the people of Bengal have again reposed their faith in the 'Maa Mati Manush' regime of Mamata Banerjee."

"We don't attach any importance to such protests by SFI as they don't represent the masses," he added, as stated in a report by PTI.