Malda, July 13: Bus owners and drivers of Malda district have called an indefinite strike from tomorrow to protest against the SFI’s demand that long-distance buses stop in front of colleges.

Although the strike has been called against alleged highhandedness of the CPM’s student wing, the party’s labour unit is backing the protest, along with the Trinamul Congress and the Intuc unions of bus drivers and other workers.

The strike comes in the wake of an incident on July 8, when the driver and the conductor of a bus were beaten up allegedly by the SFI members at Kaliachak.

Buses have been keeping off the Kaliachak route from July 9, demanding the arrest of those involved in the assault. “We had given the police 72 hours to arrest the guilty people and since nothing was done, not a single one of our 170 buses will ply from tomorrow,” said Kajal Roy, a leader of the bus owners’ syndicate.

Roy said the bus workers’ unions, too, had agreed to the strike as they were under attack. “We have told the SFI repeatedly that long-distance buses will not stop in front of colleges,” Roy said.

On the other hand, the SFI district secretary Joy Chakrabarty said they were firm on their demand. “In a meeting with the owners on April 15, it was agreed upon that buses would stop in front of the Sultanganj College in Kaliachak. We also want buses to stop in front of Gajole College.”