8,500 in Bengal jails

ABOUT 8,500 people are under arrest in West Bengal because they defied a government ban on demonstrations against rising prices and unemployment.

They were arrested at the start of a three-day campaign organized by the pro-Moscow Communist Party in protest against the 'capitalist policies' of Mrs Indira Gandhi.

Police broke up demonstrations in other states, but there were fewer arrests than in West Bengal. The Communist Party has long supported the Congress government and the demonstrations are merely aimed at putting pressure on Mrs Gandhi.

Thousands of the pro-Chinese breakaway party and other leftwing groups are in prison in West Bengal and the pro-Moscow Stalinists have made little protest . over their fate.

Shots fired at Craig ULSTER Vanguard leader William Craig escaped an assassination attempt yester rday when a sniper fired at h is car near Lisburn.

→ Harbin, president of the Marathon Manufacturing Company COMMUNIST PARTY leaders at the Clydebank Shipyard, Glasgow, face a stark choice today — prostrate themselves before the Marathon Manufacturing Company or lead a real fight for the right to work -aying down the line-left, right an Clydebank was about, stressing that 'stirring the pot' was 'disruptive' and creating 'serious difficulties' for Marathon.

He said: 'I think there is an agitational element there which it is difficult to understand. It is not as if the men temporarily redundant won't have a job ever. When we start production they will come right back in and they have redundancy pay to tide them ordinating committee signed with Marathon.

Harbin is a shrewd businessman with an eye for a deal, but delays delays any adisruption cosmost disruption almost certainly indicates the slender margins within • which his company operates.

STEPHEN JOHNS WRITES