12 Kolkata: A home guard attached to Sealdah Traffic Guard was allegedly pushed around and assaulted by two bike-borne men near Bata crossing on Kesab Chandra Sen Street on Monday night. According to sources, cops had blocked KC Sen Street around 8.30 pm to allow a Hanuman Jayanti procession to pass through. Around this time, two bikers — Md Mustafa and Shaan Mohd — arrived at the spot and allegedly demanded the guard rail be removed.
"They asked the home guard — Supriyo Rehman — to remove one guard rail placed on the main road and then allow them to use a bylane so they could go towards Jorasanko. An argument ensued after Rehman refused, and both accused then pushed Rehman and assaulted him. They forced their way through the barricade and left," an officer said.
The traffic sergeant on duty arrived at the spot after hearing the news, and a case was registered by the traffic guard at Amherst Street police station. "We used CCTV footage and fixed up the bike's registration number. By early morning, we managed to nab both accused from Jorasanko," an officer said.
This was the first time that a cop came under attack from bikers this year.
"It is a terrible situation every day. It takes several minutes to pass a stretch here that could be crossed in half the time. Two-wheelers are parked and the road space shrinks. If a cop can be attacked, one can imagine what will happen to the common man if he tries to raise his voice," said Sadia Rehman, a local resident.
Following the incident, Lalbazar has instructed all officers attending to calls on the road to switch on their body cameras and ensure that footage is preserved for at least six months.