http://www.telegraphindia.com/1120302/jsp/bengal/story_15201575.jsp

Security forces fight on streets

OUR CORRESPONDENT

Overturned cars at the Salua camp during the agitation on Thursday. Picture by Samir Mondal Salua, March 1: Family members of Eastern Frontier Rifles jawans today hurled stones at police, blocked a road, damaged cars and ransacked Counter Insurgency Force barracks in West Midnapore to protest the alleged molestation of the daughter of an EFR jawan by a CIF jawan last night. The EFR personnel and their families demanded that the CIF barracks be removed from the compound in Salua. The EFR and the CIF have been sharing the compound, which houses the headquarters and barracks of the two state forces, for the past two years. Last night too, after the college-going girl was allegedly chased down and molested, the families of the EFR jawans had hurled stones at the CIF barracks till 1.30am. Around eight this morning, nearly 500 protesters regrouped and started agitating. A police officer said the agitators blocked with boulders and guardrails a road that cuts through the compound and connects Kharagpur with Keshiari. The family members also squatted on the road, sparking a traffic snarl. The officer in charge of Kharagpur (local) police station arrived with half a dozen personnel around 11.30am and requested the agitators to withdraw the blockade. The protesters refused and said the agitation would continue till the culprit was arrested and the CIF camp removed. Around 12.30pm, sub-divisional police officer Dipak Sarkar, Kharagpur circle inspector Arunava Das and deputy magistrate Dilip Chowdhury arrived at the spot with a 100-strong force. "We are declaring the gathering illegal. Please withdraw within five minutes," the SDPO announced over a public-address system. Baton-wielding policemen chased the protesters, who ran towards their quarters about 100 metres away and stood there. After some time, eight to 10 protesters came forward and started hurling bricks and stones at the police. The police resorted to a lathicharge and the agitators dispersed. But after the police returned to the spot where the roadblock was organised, the protesters regrouped. "We saw two EFR jawans in their uniform in the mob. The jawans complained to the SDPO that the police had assaulted their family members," a police officer said. "After the SDPO announced that the CID would probe the molestation charge, the protesters started marching towards us. They were being led by three EFR jawans carrying automatic weapons. Seeing the armed jawans, we started retreating. The protesters then again pelted us with stones. We heard three gunshots but we are not sure where the sounds came from," the officer said. A dozen policemen, including circle inspector Das, suffered injuries. They were taken to the Kharagpur sub-divisional hospital. The protesters then ransacked the two barracks of the CIF, pulled out their bedding and set them on fire. The mob also broke the windshields of nearly 15 cars and police vans parked inside the compound. They also overturned some cars and set an SUV on fire. The CIF personnel fled to an air force station nearby. The protesters then dispersed on their own. One of the protesters, Roshan Ghisingh, said: "The police beat us with sticks." An officer said the girl who was allegedly molested had mentioned in her FIR that a CIF jawan had chased her on a Pulsar bike. "But the number she gave is of a Hero Honda bike. We are confused. Our probe was also hampered by today's protests."