Trinamul activists court arrest at Hashmi Chowk in Siliguri. A Telegraph picture

Oct. 31: Scattered clashes took place in two of the six north Bengal districts during the Trinamul Congress-sponsored 12-hour “standstill” agitation in the state today.

Trinamul chief Mamata Banerjee had called upon party members to bring the state to a standstill today to protest against the situation in Nandigram.

In all, 32 people were hospitalised in South Dinajpur and Cooch Behar, while over 1,000 party supporters were arrested across the region.

Shops, educational institutions, markets and private establishments remained shut in the six districts, except in the hill subdivisions and in Balurghat town. A few nationalised banks were, however, open and public transport, though few, plied in most areas. Trains also plied barring a few minor disruptions. Most of the tea gardens in the Dooars functioned normally.

Trinamul’s north Bengal core committee chairman Gautam Deb said in Siliguri that response to the agitation “was total”. He congratulated the people for supporting the protest against the deterioration of law and order in the state.

The picture in Siliguri was not different from yesterday’s SUCI bandh.

“Some private buses and autorickshaws plied, especially after many of the party’s activists were arrested before noon today,” said Indra Chakraborty, deputy superintendent of police, Siliguri.

Trinamul and CPM supporters clashed at Asokgram village near Gangarampur in South Dinajpur over the opening of a grocery store around 7am. Bows and arrows and sticks were used freely in the scuffle that left 23 people, including a 16-year-old bystander, seriously injured. The situation was brought under control only after police and RAF intervened. Four of the injured had to be referred to hospitals in Malda and Balurghat. Thirty-three persons were arrested from both sides.

In Cooch Behar, 30 persons including the driver of an NBSTC bus were injured, nine of whom had to be hospitalised. Trinamul activists damaged three buses, while the police arrested 388 party supporters. At New Changrabanda, Trinamul supporters resisted the CPM activists’ efforts to open shops. Eight persons were injured in the clash.