Altogether 1088 bandh supporters, including seven Trinamool Congress legislators, were arrested on Monday for disrupting rail and road traffic while enforcing a 12-hour West Bengal bandh, which partially affected normal life.
The TC called the bandh to protest against the West Bengal Block Level Pre-Litigation Conciliation Board Bill, starvation deaths and price rise. Its ally Bharatiya Janata Party extended support to the bandh while the Congress party only offered moral support.
Inspector General of Police (Law and Order) Chhyan Mukherjee said TC activists and MLAs were arrested from different areas and railway stations, mainly on the Eastern Railway, for blocking road and rail traffic.
The arrested legislators included Manju Bose, Arjun Singh, Tanmoy Mandal, Jyotirmoy Kar, Sisir Adhikary, Akhil Giri and Dilip Mandal. But no major untoward incident was reported from anywhere in the state.
One TC worker was injured, allegedly by ruling party activists, at LIC More at Contai during a clash. The TC supporter was identified as Prakash Maity.
In another incident, a scuffle ensued near the Burdwan court when a lawyer tried to enter the premises.
Roads in Kolkata were deserted with little traffic. The Metro Railway operated its services but there were few private buses and taxis. The Progressive Taximen's Association has called a 36-hour strike since Sunday night.
Train services on the South Eastern Railway and Eastern Railway were disrupted in the morning after bandh supporters squatted on the tracks but railway sources said services on both the sections resumed as the day advanced.
The N S C Bose International Airport functioned as normal, airport sources in Kolkata said.
The Calcutta Stock Exchange, the main business hub of the metropolis at Burrabazar besides shops and markets in some parts of the metropolis were closed. The electronic complex at Salt Lake recorded 55 to 70% attendance, official sources said. The state government has declared Information Technology an essential service.
Operations at the Calcutta Dock and Port were not affected.
