At least seven policemen were injured from bricks and blows while trying to enforce the lockdown on Belilious Road in Howrah city on Tuesday evening.
The stretch is under Section 144 of the CrPC that prohibits any gathering of more than four persons at a time. Police sources said the injuries to two of the personnel were “serious”.
Two police vehicles were damaged.
On Tuesday night, the official Bengal police Twitter handle said: “No transgression of the law anywhere will be tolerated.”
“We are taking strong action against everyone involved in the incident at Tikiapara, Howrah, today. The perpetrators will be identified and brought to justice,” it added.
Video footage emerged showing policemen in white and RAF uniform being outnumbered and chased by a large number of people on the road close to Tikiapara outpost.
A resident of Belilious Road said police had been regularly using loudhailers to request people to stay indoors. “The police vehicle had come today also. But suddenly in the evening, some youths refused to enter their homes,” the resident said.
New commissioner
On Tuesday evening, the state government removed Bijin Krishna, commissioner of Howrah Municipal Corporation, and replaced him with Dhaval Jain, who was posted as the additional district magistrate, Howrah.
