Kolkata: Violent anti-war protestors on March 20 burnt effigies of US President
George Bush and British premier Tony Blair, smashed windows and hurled stones and
rotten eggs at the heavily guarded American Centre and also tried to march to the US
Consulate nearby.
Scuffles between the protestors belonging to Communist Party of India's (CPM) youth
wing, Students Federation of India (SFI), and Left Opposition party in West Bengal,
Socialist Unity Centre of India (SUCI), left 25 person injured, including two
constables in the prohibitory order-bound area, the police said.
Two constables, the police said, were injured in resisting about 700 SFI activists,
who hurled stones smashing about half a dozen windowpanes of the American Centre and
also threw rotten eggs chanting anti-US slogans for the "unilateral action" against
Iraq "defying" the UN.
Lathi-wielding police swung into action to prevent the SFI activists from breaking
the cordon.
SFI state secretary Apurba Chattacherjee claimed six activists, including three girl
students, were injured in scuffles with the police after being prevented from
breaking the cordon.
About 400 SUCI activists, who staged a separate demonstration targeting the nearby
US Consulate, also scuffled with the police when prevented from breaking the cordon.
The SUCI claimed that 17 activists were injured in police lathicharges on "peaceful
demonstrators".
The police, however, denied making a lathicharge.
PTI
