Hundreds of BJP protesters clashed with the police outside the Bengal government secretariat “Nabanna” on Friday, throwing to the winds safety measures for COVID-19, including social distancing. Visuals from the spot showed police dressed in riot gear trying to disperse the crowd with tear gas and water cannons as stones were thrown from the other side.
Photos and videos of the police forcibly arresting a Sikh man throughout the BJP’s mega protest in Kolkata on Thursday have set off a serious controversy with the occasion accusing the cops of injuring spiritual sentiments by pulling off the turban of 43-year-old Balwinder Singh, a resident of Bhatinda, throughout a conflict at Howrah maidan.
Former India cricketer Harbhajan Singh on Friday took to Twitter to express his dissatisfaction over an incident where the West Bengal Police were seen manhandling a Sikh man, disrespecting his turban and pulling him by his hair.
The ace spinner tagged West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in his post, saying: "Please have a look into this matter @MamataOfficia l. This isn't done."
Plz have a look into this matter @MamataOfficial this isn’t done 😡😡 https://t.co/mKrbQhn1qy
— Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) October 9, 2020
Singh retweeted a video where a turbaned man was seen being beaten up by the state police personnel even as his turban came off. In the video, the Sikh man was also seen being pulled by his hair.
The controversial video went viral on social media after the person, identified as Balvinder Singh, the personal security guard of BJP leader Priyangu Pandey, was held by the police during BJP's protest march to the state secretariat Nabanna on Thursday.
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The police, however, claimed that Balvinder Singh was illegally carrying a weapon during the protest.BJP state unit President Dilip Ghosh had said on Thursday that it was a licensed weapon and the person had all valid documents for carrying the firearm.
"The police should release him as he is a security person and was carrying a licensed weapon," Ghosh had said during a press conference on Thursday.