Kolkata: Although the overall protests were peaceful and saw spontaneous responses, a few persons out on the roads during the Reclaim the Night protests on Wednesday fell prey to mob vandalism in a couple of stray incidents.
Santanu Mondal, an auto driver plying the Rashbehari-Behala Chowrasta route, was carrying passengers from Taratala around 9.40 pm on Wednesday when the vehicle got stuck in a protest being held at Behala 14 Number.Cops stated that a few locals had taken out a protest and had blocked the important crossing.
“I was trying to weave through the extreme left lane and turn left towards James Long Sarani. Even as the main rally crossed peacefully, two men from the rear challenged me as to why I was trying to move when the protest was on. One of them whipped out a rod and smashed my windscreen. The glass shards hit a passenger and he sustained a cut in his hand,” Mondal said.
The DH Traffic guard detained one person in this regard and later handed him over to the local police.
Another incident was reported from the Garia area where an office-goer was stuck while returning home and got involved in a verbal duel. Annamitra Lahiri, a resident of Narendrapur, claimed he was heckled when he requested the protesters not to block the road and was called a “ruling party stooge”. Cops came to his rescue, Lahiri said.