ISF MLA Nawsad Siddique holds protests against SIR, detained by police in Kolkata

Indian Secular Front (ISF) MLA Nawsad Siddique was detained along with several party workers on Wednesday after a protest march in central Kolkata turned tense, leading to clashes with the police.

The demonstration, staged at the Esplanade area, was called to oppose the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and the alleged harassment of Bengali migrant labourers in Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled States.

Carrying the national flag and shouting slogans demanding justice, Siddique — the sole ISF MLA in the West Bengal Assembly — accused authorities of deliberately targeting vulnerable groups.

“In the name of SIR, they are harassing citizens, branding them as ‘doubtful voters’ and even declaring living people as dead. At the same time, minority workers are being attacked in other States and forced to return home. We are protesting against such atrocities,” Siddique told reporters before being detained.

The protest also raised demands for the retraction of the Waqf Amendment Act, restoration of OBC reservation, and cancellation of fake Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe certificates.

Police, who had deployed a heavy contingent at the protest site, said the ISF rally was held without permission and was obstructing traffic in the city’s busiest thoroughfare.

“We had to use minimum force to lift the blockade and ensure smooth traffic movement,” Kolkata Police Deputy Commissioner (Central) Indira Mukherjee said.

Eyewitnesses reported chaotic scenes as protesters tried to block police vans carrying detained ISF members. Several demonstrators were dragged away, and Siddique later alleged that he was physically assaulted during the scuffle.

The detentions are expected to further strain relations between the ISF and state authorities, as the party has vowed to continue its agitation on issues concerning minority and migrant workers.