The police on lathi-charged at a gathering of civic police volunteers in Malda district, injuring at least 15 of them.
The civic police volunteers were stopped at Rejent Park area of the town just before they were to begin a procession to the office of Superintendent of Police Prasun Bandyopadhyay to demand regularisation of payment, the police said. The volunteers were told they did not have permission to hold the procession, following which an altercation took place, the police said. The volunteers started pelting stones on the policemen, who then used batons to disperse them.
Fifteen injured persons were taken to hospital and 10 others were detained, the police said. “A written intimation was given to the English Bazar police station on the programme on September 8 but no reply came from the side of the police,” said Sanjay Paria, state president of the Civic Police Association.
Paria, who was present at the site, said they wanted to submit a deputation to the SP demanding regularisation of payment. There are about 1,30,000 civic police volunteers in the state and 4,800 in Malda district, he said.
Civic Police Volunteers are posted in various road crossings to assist the police in controlling traffic movement.