Kolkata, Oct. 5 -- Normal vehicular traffic in central Kolkata's bustling BBD Bag area came to a grinding halt on Monday as hundreds of advocates staged a massive protest against alleged attack on lawyers inside the Bankshall Court premises recently.
According to sources, on October 1, a mob gathered at the court premises prior to the arrival of an accused arrested by a Central probe agency. As soon as the accused stepped out of the vehicle, the mob breached the police perimeter and pelted him with eggs. Some of the eggs also hit lawyers present at the spot, triggering a major controversy over how the police failed to secure the court premises.
It is alleged that following the incident, when lawyers protested, they were also assaulted by the violent mob. The Secretary of the Bar Association of City Sessions and Judicial Magistrates' Courts, Calcutta Raja Sengupta alleged that the attackers even outraged the modesty of several women lawyers. He complained that despite an FIR being registered at the Hare Street Police Station, cops arrested two persons while the prime accused is still at large. Demanding immediate arrest of the prime accused and safety at court premises, the lawyers on Monday marched and put up a blockade.
The demonstration threw the traffic out of gear on vital thoroughfares, including Strand Road and Netaji Subhas Road near the General Post Office. Though the blockade was withdrawn around 3 pm, it took several more hours to normalise the traffic.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.