West Bengal: Cricket Match at Petrol Pump, Rallies Held in Protest Against Petrol Price Hike

Kolkata: As petrol prices crossed a century in 12 districts of West Bengal, members and activists of the Left parties and youth organisations held several protests across the state against the rampant price rise of the fuels.

In Kolkata, protests were led by Communist Party of India (Marxist)’s central committee member Dr Sujan Chakraborty, state secretariat member Shamik Lahiri and district secretary Kallol Majumdar in front of the Indian Oil divisional headquarters. The protesters had to court arrest and were charged with violation of the Disaster Management Act, even though they claimed that they had followed all COVID-19 protocol during the protest.

In Egra town of East Medinipore district, CPI(M) politburo member MD Salim, district secretary Niranjan Sihi and Paritosh Pattanayak led a rally against the petrol prices, covering a large part of the town. A rally was also organised in the industrial township of Haldia.

In Barrackpore and Kacharapara of North 24 Parganas district, two rallies were held on July 6, demanding the withdrawal of tax on petro products. In Hasnabad of North Parganas district, rallies were held with the demand of decreasing the price of petro products. The Left-led mass organisations also submitted an eight point demand charter at the Hasnabad Police Station. In Bashirhaat area in the same district, bus owners and workers towed their bus with ropes and led a protest march.

In Bankura district’s Barjora and Machantola bazaar area, two meetings were held as part of the protests and was preside over by district Left Front convenor Ajit Pati. Programmes were also held at Santuri block of Purulia district.

In Baharampur, one of the 12 districts where the petrol price has crossed the century mark, members of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) organised a game of cricket before an important petrol pump located on the opposite side of district administrative headquarters at the Ranibagan area of the city.

Throughout the Murshidabad district, a plethora of programmes in protest against the petrol price hike and the increase in prices of essential commodities. The Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) organised a rally inside Baharampur town on July 6, which was participated by CITU leader Tushar Dey and Jamir Mollah.

In North Dinajpur’s Kaliagunj town, several passers by joined by the protest programme organised by the CPI(M) Kaliagunj area committee. The protest was organised in front of a major petrol pump in the city and was addressed by local CPI(M) leaders.

Protest programmes were also held West Medinipore’s Daspur, Garbeta, Humgarh and Sonakhali area where members of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha and Left mass organisation participated in huge numbers.