Assam NRC row: TMC to observe 'black day' over leaders' detention, manhandling at Silchar airport

While a large scale violence over the alleged manhandling of a Trinamool Congress MP at Silchar airport rocked the North 24 Parganas district on Friday, the Mamata Banerjee-led government has decided to observe "black day" on August 4 and August 5 across West Bengal.

Speaking to PTI, TMC secretary general and West Bengal Education Minister Partha Chatterjee said, "We condemn the way the public representatives were manhandled and detained by the Assam police at the Silchar airport".

"They being MPs had every right to visit a place, but all rules were violated and our party delegation was stopped. This is shameful," Chatterjee added.

Trinamool to observe 'Black Day' wearing black badges in every block of #Bengal on 4-5 August to protest against the heckling of our party leaders in Silchar. Our slogan will be 'দানবিক সরকার, আর নেই দরকার' (we don't need this monstrous government anymore) - Partha Chatterjee

— AITC (@AITCofficial) August 3, 2018

Read | BJP is politically depressed, says Mamata Banerjee on TMC members detention over Assam NRC row

Earlier in the day, the All India Matua Mahasangha, a religious reformation organisation mainly representing the backward classes, blocked the Habra-Bashirhat Road at two places— Pairagachhi and Kashipur.

They were protesting against the alleged manhandling of Mamatabala Thakur, the Trinamool Congress MP from Bangaon, at Silchar airport in Assam where she had gone as part of a party delegation to assess the post-NRC situation in Assam.

An eight-member TMC delegation, comprising six MPs and two MLAs on Thursday was detained at Silchar airport, anticipating a breakdown of law and order.

The TMC team was scheduled to take part in a convention against the National Register of Citizenship (NRC), which was released on July 30.

Read | BJP can brand me 'infiltrator': Mamata Banerjee on Assam NRC issue

The Mamata Banerjee brigade and several other opposition parties have been protesting the exclusion of 40 lakh people from Assam’ final NRC draft and are on a desperate attempt to corner the Narendra Modi government over the same.