India, June 9 -- The Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) has vehemently condemned the brutal midnight crackdown on railway hawkers, small shop owners, and local residents at the Jadavpur Railway Station area on the intervening night of June 7-8. Terming the eviction drive a barbaric action carried out under the cover of darkness, the trade union body has called for massive nationwide protests in front of railway offices on June 15.

A massive contingent of police personnel, Railway Protection Force (RPF), and other security agencies reportedly used bulldozers and earthmoving machinery to demolish makeshift establishments, destroying the livelihood of hundreds of poor vendors.

When local residents, trade union activists, and students fro...