Siliguri subdivision remained shut during the 12-hour strike called by the Citu on Tuesday

 " Citu shutdown hits Siliguri "

Siliguri, Aug. 2: Shops, banks, educational institutions and even some central government offices in the Siliguri subdivision remained shut during the 12-hour strike called by the Citu on Tuesday.

The bandh to protest the murder of a businessman and his brother-in-law at the Siliguri regulated market on Saturday was almost total with only few rickshaws, autorickshaws and private buses plying the roads.

The CPM which supported the shutdown, had claimed that people have spontaneously responded to the strike that began from 6am.

Rajkumar Yadav and his relative Surendra Yadav, a trader, were shot by a gang of criminals at the regulated market on Saturday night.

While Surendra died on the spot, Rajkumar, who had sustained a bullet injury on the chest, succumbed to his injuries at a private hospital here yesterday morning.

Rajkumar was the working president of the Citu-backed Siliguri Regulated Market Gadi Workers’ and Employees’ Union.

The citu had called a strike in the market yesterday to protest the incident and pointed finger at the Trinamul Congress and the Congress for the attack.

From today morning, the main roads in the town like the Hill Cart Road, Sevoke Road and Bidhan Road, remained almost deserted with only a few vehicles plying.

The Siliguri Municipal Corporation, however, remained open along with some state government offices.

“It was a spontaneous reaction from the workers who supported the bandh to protest the killing of two of their colleagues. We have never tried to impose the strike on the people to make it a success,” Asok Bhattacharya, former urban development minister and CPM leader, said.

This morning north Bengal development minister Gautam Deb appealed to the traders on the Hill Cart Road and Sevoke Road to carry on with their daily activities.

He also went to the regulated market and spoke to the businessmen there.

“I have appealed to the traders to get rid of this strike culture as this badly affects the ongoing development. We have asked the people to contact me in case they face any problems (while travelling) today,” Deb said.

“Regarding the murders at the regulated market, we have talked to the police and have asked them to arrest the criminals irrespective of their political backgrounds,” Deb said.

The strike, however, did not have much impact in areas like Shivmandir, Bagdogra and Naxalbari that are on the outskirts of the town.

At Fuleswari, supporters of Trinamul and the CPM got involved in an altercation. Both the parties had taken out rallies in the area.

“Mild tension occurred when two groups of supporters assembled at Fuleswari Bazar. It, however, fizzled out soon as our men intervened,” Amit P. Javalgi, the additional superintendent of police, Siliguri, said.

“A bandh supporter was arrested from the Darjeeling More for stopping vehicles on the road. No other incident has been reported so far,” he added.

Although some shops started opening after the strike ended around 6pm, only a few autorickshaws were seen on the deserted roads .

~TT