Kolkata, Sep 22 (NationPress) The police have detained 29 individuals from the Kurmi community in the Purulia district of West Bengal for allegedly assaulting police officers during a protest at the Kotshila railway station, as reported by officials on Monday.

At least six police officers, including two IPS officers, sustained injuries during a violent demonstration by Kurmi community members on Saturday, who obstructed railway tracks at Kotshila station while demanding Scheduled Tribe status. Some protesters also incurred injuries when police employed lathi charges and tear gas to disperse the crowd.

Purulia Superintendent of Police Abhijit Banerjee stated that order has been restored at Kotshila station following the cessation of the agitation.

The tribal Kurmi community claims that the police have imposed a reign of terror upon them under the guise of controlling the protest.

As per sources from the tribal Kurmi community, an anti-terror meeting is scheduled to take place at the taxi stand in Purulia city on October 5, post-Durga Puja. They also plan to present a memorandum to the DM and SP on that day.

Meanwhile, Kotshila station in the Adra division of the South Eastern Railway is gradually regaining normalcy after the police attack.

Leader of the Adivasi Kurmi Samaj in West Bengal, Ajit Prasad Mahato, remarked, "There is widespread police terror against our leaders, workers, and supporters. Consequently, our leaders, workers, and supporters have sought refuge in various locations. The police have impeded our leaders, workers, and supporters under the pretext of naka checking at different locations, preventing them from organizing a road blockade. Therefore, we will convene an anti-police terror meeting at the taxi stand of Purulia city on October 5."

Conversely, Purulia Superintendent of Police Abhijit Banerjee asserted, "The situation is under control now. There was no blockade at any location, resulting in no trains being halted. The protesters, with children and women in the forefront, hurled stones at us from the railway tracks, which delayed our response. Several of our police personnel were injured."

Purulia District Police indicated that their actions were in accordance with the directives of the Calcutta High Court.

On Thursday, a division bench of the Calcutta High Court reaffirmed its earlier decision from 2023 and instructed Indian Railways and the West Bengal government to ensure that the rail blockade movement on September 20 by the Kurmi community does not disrupt normal life.

Last month, the Adivasi Kurmi Samaj, the largest organization of the Kurmi Community, issued a call for a rail blockade in tribal-dominated areas across West Bengal, Jharkhand, and Odisha, seeking Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for the community.