Bloodshed, Again
January 6 was the third shutdown Bengal witnessed in four months. The reasonthis time was the police firing on riotous Forward Bloc activists that left fiveof them dead. Yes, the police should have gone strictly by the rulebook andissued enough warnings before opening fire. Yes, the cops should have firedbelow the waist with the intention of injuring and dispersing the mob, insteadof killing people. But all said and done, the fact remains--and we all saw thaton our TV screens--that these political activists were hell bent on creatingtrouble. They were carrying cans filled with petrol and kerosene and were armedwith lethal weapons. People who intend to march peacefully (as the Forward Blocleaders are now claiming) to submit a memorandum don't go with fuel-filled cansand weapons.