CALCUTTA: At least four persons have been killed in two days of rioting here during a Communist-organised general strike and demonstrations against the dismissal of the United Front Government.

Three of the victims were killed by police firing on mobs both yesterday and today [Nov 23]. The fourth was stabbed to death during a fight between two groups of industrial workers in the suburb of Panihati.

Tonight, Leftist leaders, claiming the strike was a success, asked workers to go back to their jobs tomorrow.

An earlier [agency] report from Dacca said: Police opened fire at ten places on demonstrators and clamped a 17-hour curfew — beginning from 1400 hours to 0700 hours tomorrow morning in certain areas of Calcutta and Twenty Four Parganas — on the second day of the anti-Congress agitation today.

Police, assisted by the Army, also resorted to lathi charges and fired tear gas shells at a number of places.

One worker was killed in a clash between two groups of people in a factory at Panihati, 12 miles from the centre of Calcutta.

While curfew was imposed in six areas of the city of Calcutta, Section 144 Cr PC was promulgated to allow the swearing-in ceremony of the new Chief Minister, Dr P.C. Ghose.

According to an All-India Radio report monitored here tonight, 300 persons were arrested in the city. This figure does not include those arrested yesterday. An unspecified number of persons were admitted to various hospitals either with minor or severe injuries.

All offices and business establishments remained completely closed today. So did the bus, tram and taxi services. — Agency

[Meanwhile, as reported by our correspondent in Khairpur,] Mr Muhammad Yaseen Khan Wattoo, West Pakistan Minister for Basic Democracies and Local Bodies, has promised to expedite the implementation of the Sukkur drainage scheme and said that he would do his best to provide funds for this project in the next financial year. He was speaking at a civic reception arranged in his honour by the Sukkur Municipal Committee at Labe Mehran yesterday [Nov 22].

Published in Dawn, November 24th, 2017