Kolkata: Police had a tough time in keeping the traffic moving on important stretches of the city — EM Bypass, Moulali, Beliaghata Main Road, College Street and its adjoining roads — as protesters hit the road on Friday evening for the relay torch rally demanding justice for the RG Kar rape-and-murder victim.
According to police, the fact that the protesters chose the north-bound flank helped cops in managing traffic as vehicular density remains lesser on the flank as compared to the south-bound one during evening peak hours.The idea was to keep at least one flank moving.
“We requested the protesters to keep space for cars. A large section, along with the organizers, agreed to our request. However, with fresh protesters joining at every important crossing, it became a struggle to keep the crossings moving each time the rally reached these particular spots. By the time they approached Ambedkar Bridge, the situation worsened as the stretch was narrower. Thus, barely a few minutes of hold-ups at Avishikta, Ruby and Science City crossing were enough to lead to traffic jams on EM Bypass. When the rally was on top of Ambedkar Bridge, the tail of the jam was all the way back to Ruby crossing around 7.45 pm,” claimed a traffic officer.
“While I completely support the protesters trying to ensure justice for the RG Kar victim, I believe there was mismanagement on behalf of both police and organizers at the crossings. While most protesters at the rear walked keeping one lane open, there were some at the front who unknowingly blocked the entire flank. I did not see enough police effort to move them away. I was held up near Ruby crossing-VIP Bazar for over 40 minutes,” said Snigdhendu Roy, who was returning to Howrah from RN Tagore Hospital.
Police claimed that several vehicles that followed the rallyists added to the confusion. “The snarls were temporary in nature and there were multiple diversionary routes. We also took full advantage wherever there were slip lanes available, especially on EM Bypass,” said an officer.