West Bengal BJP leaders detained ahead of protest march

Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal assembly Suvendu Adhikari was detained ahead of BJP's 'Nabanna Abhijan' (march to secretariat) to protest against alleged corrupt practices of the TMC-led government.

BJP's long-time leader Rahul Sinha and MP Locket Chatterjee were among those detained from Hastings. The detained BJP leaders have been whisked away in a prison van to Kolkata Police headquarters in Lalbazar, The Hindustan Times reports.

Security arrangements were beefed up in Kolkata as BJP supporters from across West Bengal started arriving in the state capital and neighbouring Howrah on Tuesday morning, with heavy barricading at Hastings near the state government's new Secretariat.

Traffic restrictions have also been put in place along several key stretches of the city, reported PTI quoting police.

Barricades have also been placed on the Second Hooghly Bridge, which connects the metropolis with the state secretariat building.

BJP national Vice-President Dilip Ghosh was expected to lead the procession from north Kolkata and Adhikari would have joined the procession from the Santragachi area.

Sinha accused the Mamata Banerjee government of trying to forcibly stop the "democratic protest".

"Our supporters were prevented from boarding a special train from Alipurduar to Sealdah on Monday evening and even lathi-charged by the state police. The train left later with our activists and supporters," Sinha said.