Over 60 arrested as Civil Defence workers clash with police during Nabanna Abhiyan

A protest march by temporary personnel of the Civil Defence and Disaster Management Force toward the state secretariat Nabanna turned tense on Tuesday, leading to clashes with the police and the arrest of 64 protesters. The workers had taken to the streets demanding regularisation of their services, at least 26 days of work each month and job security until the age of 60.

The demonstrators gathered near Howrah Metro Station around noon before beginning their march toward Nabanna. Anticipating the protest, police deployed heavy security and placed iron barricades along Grand Foreshore Road to prevent the rally from advancing toward the administrative headquarters.

As the procession reached the barricades, police stopped the protesters from moving further. Demonstrators insisted on meeting Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and refused to disperse, raising slogans and staging a road protest that disrupted traffic in the area.

Tension escalated later when the protesters announced plans to march toward the Chief Minister’s protest stage at Dharmatala’s Metro Channel. When some participants attempted to break through the police cordon, officers intervened and began detaining them.

Police personnel from Shibpur Police Station took several protesters into custody and transported them in prison vans. According to police sources, 64 individuals were arrested for allegedly obstructing government work and violating prohibitory orders during the demonstration.