Eighteen persons who took part in a night vigil to demand justice for the RG Kar victim were arrested for allegedly blocking NH12 at Barasat in North 24-Parganas for more than three hours early on Thursday.

All of them were produced in the Barasat court on Thursday afternoon. They were granted bail.

Anirban Das, a resident of Barasat who was part of the vigil, alleged that the police charged at them without warning and said that many, including women, were beaten up.

“The cops charged at us without any provocation and thrashed several protesters,” Das said.

“The police kept on trying to break the human chain we had formed claiming that we had no right to block such an important road,” said Das.

“A senior officer shouting instructions at us was asked by many in the crowd to speak in Bengali. This seemed to enrage him. They have even beaten up a child who was trying to protect his mother,” Das alleged.

NH12 connects Barasat with Dalkhola in North Dinajpur. It also serves as the main connector between north Bengal and Calcutta.

The protesters had blocked both the city-bound and the Krishnagar-bound flank of the highway, the police said.

A senior officer said multiple night vigils were scheduled at Barasat, including one at Dak Bungalow More intersection and the one at Colony More.

According to the officer, several men and women who were part of the vigil at the Dak Bungalow More intersection walked towards Colony More and squatted on the highway.

The superintendent of police of Barasat, Pratiksha Jharkhariya, said after the group blocked the highway, a police team from Dak Bungalow More intersection went to the Colony More intersection.

“We requested those taking part in the vigil to free at least one lane of the city-bound flank of the highway but they did not listen,” said Jharkhariya.

Around 3.15am, a large police team reached the spot and the protesters were asked once again to move back, the officer said.

A group then attacked the police team and tried to snatch their batons, said the officer.

“We pushed the crowd back and arrested those who had attacked the police,” the officer added.