In two separate rallies, the supporters protested against the violence that rocked Nandigram on Sunday and the alleged discrepancies in the Union Budget. They also demanded a decrease in the price of products such as cooking gas and edible oil.

The rallies, which began from Hazra crossing and College Street around 12.30 pm, were to meet at Esplanade. While Swapan Chatterjee, Mahua Nanda and Sadhan Chatterjee were arrested from College Street, Anamika Pramanik and several others were arrested from the Hazra crossing.

“On Friday, we had decided to block roads to protest against the Budget. But the state government’s failure to control violence in Nandigram has compelled us to take to the streets,” said Amitava Bhattcharya, a SUCI member.

“This Budget is not for the common man as is serves no purpose for the middle class. The price of the products that are needed in our day-to-day life has not come down. One has to pay more tariff for electricity,” said Prabhas Ghose, state secretary of SUCI.