Chemists withdraw strike

A day after medicine shop owners had declared an indefinite strike in Hooghly after an altercation with the police,the Bengal Chemists and Druggists Association on Tuesday withdrew its strike. On Monday,the police had arrested four members of the association for locking up officials of the drug controller office. The shop owners have now launched a non-cooperation movement against the state drug controller authorities,as the latter had lodged an FIR against the arrested members of the association. The shop owners’ association has asked its members to keep the medicine shops closed after four members were arrested from Chinsurah for ransacking the drug controller’s office. Earlier,the owners alleged that the authorities had issued licence for opening up of a retail medicine chain in the area after taking bribe. Meanwhile,the strike has been withdrawn keeping in mind the needs of the people,said Tushar Chakrabarty,secretary of the association’s state unit.