Shah Rukh’s car (white Mercedes-Benz) is stuck on the Park Circus connector because of the blockade. Picture by Aranya Sen

Calcutta, May 8: Blackout then, blockade now.

Shah Rukh Khan is getting a crash course in Calcutta, this time Mamata Banerjee taking over from the Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee government and playing the dutiful teacher.

Mamata today sprang a lightning road blockade on Calcutta, holding up many headed to the Eden, including Shah Rukh Khan, before rain delayed the match. The one-hour blockade from 6pm to 7pm was to protest the CPM-led attacks in Nandigram.

Although Nandigram has been on the boil for over a week now, the Trinamul Congress chose to announce the blockade only around noon — the short notice ensuring that maximum inconvenience was caused during the evening peak hour.

Shah Rukh’s convoy stopped thrice on the Park Circus connector soon after 6.40pm. He was accompanied by Knight Riders’ co-owners Juhi Chawla and Jay Mehta and guests.

“It was not just Shah Rukh Khan, many others got stuck,” said Gautam Mohan Chakrabarti, the city police commissioner. “At every point, our officers intervened and ensured that his (Shah Rukh’s) convoy was not stuck for long.”

Shah Rukh reached the Eden Clubhouse gates around 7.10pm, 15 minutes after the cultural programme to pay tribute to Rabindranath Tagore had started.

According to police, as soon as the convoy crossed Science City, it started slowing down. Near the Mirania Boating Complex on the Park Circus connector, it ground to a halt. Later, a few yards ahead, it was stuck again.

As the cars approached the Topsia crossing, the police tried to divert the convoy through the parallel lane meant for oncoming traffic. “No sooner had his car picked up speed than it ran into a group of Trinamul Congress workers who were disrupting traffic,” said a police officer.

Trinamul MLA Javed Ahmed Khan, leading the demonstration, claimed he told Shah Rukh that “we were protesting against the CPM’s atrocities in Nandigram”.

Although officers accompanying the convoy said Shah Rukh had rolled down the windowpane, no one could confirm whether the protesters got a chance to speak to him. “It took us just a few minutes to disperse the protesters and his convoy rolled on,” said a traffic sergeant.

The blockade left a large number of Knight Riders’ fans stranded, too. “Our taxi got stranded near the Hazra crossing. After waiting for 15 to 20 minutes, we took the Metro,” said Anshuman Banerjee, a college student.

“Thankfully, they didn’t block the Esplanade intersection or we would have returned home instead of heading to Eden Gardens,” said Rajat Subhro Majumder of CIT Road.

The blockade has come just when the dust was beginning to settle on the floodlight fiasco during the Knight Riders’ debut match at the Eden.

This is not the first time the Trinamul Congress has displayed poor timing that invariably erodes the sympathy issues like Nandigram generate among the people.

Bandhs have been called earlier during the middle of the Christmas week and the wedding season, only to be truncated with Mamata waking up late to the public mood.

Trinamul leader Partha Chatterjee said the party did not intend to block Shah Rukh Khan’s way but couldn’t stop protesting against the “CPM’s terror’’. “It’s not a question of cricket or football. Look at the people of Nandigram and then talk about a game of entertainment,” he said.