Siliguri, 18th September: The Maha Rally called by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Siliguri today was obstructed midway by the police. Several party workers were taken into custody.
The rally, organized by BJP’s Siliguri Organizational District Committee, Yuva and Mahila (women) Morcha, was called to march against the increasing rate of violence against women in the state. The party handed over a memorandum to the Siliguri SDO in this regard.
As no permission had been granted to hold the said rally, a large police force of the Siliguri Police Commissionerate was deployed in the area since morning to hinder it. Barricades and water cannons were also kept to prevent the activists from marching into the city.
As scheduled, the rally commenced from Kanchenjunga Stadium but was obstructed as soon as it reached the Hospital More.
Despite this, the rally did not stop and tried to move forward by breaking the barricades. Eventually, a scuffle broke out between the police and BJP workers. Police took several activists into custody.