The West Bengal government on Tuesday urged people not to participate in the 12-hour strike called by the BJP on August 28 and said the administration will ensure that normal life is not affected due to the shutdown. The BJP has called for a Bengal bandh from 6 am to 6 pm tomorrow (August 27) to protest against the police action on protesters who took part in a protest march to the state secretariat ‘Nabbana’ today.
Alapan Bandopadhyay, Chief Advisor to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, said, ‘The government will not allow any bandh on Wednesday. We urge people not to participate in it. All steps will be taken to ensure that normal life remains unaffected.’ After this, the state government issued a notification and appealed to all its employees not to join the Bengal Bandh. Meanwhile, the West Bengal Junior Doctors Forum has announced a big rally in Kolkata on August 28 demanding justice for the female trainee doctor.
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If the employee does not come on duty then salary will be deducted
The notification issued from the state secretariat ‘Nabanna’ said, ‘It has been decided that no casual leave will be granted to any employee in the first or second shift on August 28. Nor will anyone’s leave be accepted for the whole day. Employees who were on leave on August 27, 2024, will have to report for duty on August 28, 2024.’ The notification also said that the absence of employees on August 28 will be considered as ‘dice-non’ (willful leave) and the salary for that day will be deducted unless such absence is covered by the following grounds:
1) The employee is admitted to the hospital.
2) Someone in the family may have died.
3) The employee is already on leave due to any serious illness.
4) The employee is on child care leave, maternity leave, medical leave or approved earned leave before 2 August.
BJP has called for a 12-hour Bengal bandh
The BJP also demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over the issue of rape and murder of a trainee woman doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital earlier this month. Bengal BJP president Sukanta Majumdar said, “We are forced to call for a general strike because this autocratic regime is turning a deaf ear to the voice of the people, demanding justice for the dead doctor sister. Instead of justice, Mamata Banerjee’s police is attacking the peace-loving people of the state, who only want a safe environment for women.”
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In support of the call for Bengal Bandh, BJP national president JP Nadda wrote in a post on X, ‘The pictures of police highhandedness from Kolkata have angered everyone who values democratic principles. In Didi’s West Bengal, helping rapists and criminals is valuable, but speaking up for women’s safety is a crime.’ BJP leader Locket Chatterjee shared a video of the Nabanna protest march on her X handle, in which an elderly man dressed in saffron clothes is standing in front of a police water cannon with the tricolour in his hand.
TMC criticized the call for Bengal bandh
Locket Chatterjee wrote, ‘We all demand an end to TMC’s atrocities. This man holding the tricolor in his hand amid water cannons is defining his determination against Mamata Banerjee’s atrocities. I stand with him, the people of the state stand with him and the whole country stands with him.’ TMC MP Mahua Moitra hit back at BJP’s call for Bengal bandh and said, ‘Bricks were thrown at the police, an SHO’s head was broken. Many policemen were injured. And Bengal BJP has called for a bandh in protest against police atrocities. Same old playbook.’
Source (PTI) (NDTV) (HINDUSTANTIMES)