Kolkata, Jun 24 (IANS): With eight persons under arrest and increased police presence on the streets, violence-hit Bhatpara in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district on Monday largely returned to normalcy as schools opened and public transport plied.

Police officers led by Barrackpore Police Commissioner Manoj Kumar Verma conducted route marches to reassure people of peace. The police team also visited the schools in the area assuring them of safety.

"We arrested eight local persons and recovered 60 crude bombs on Sunday. The situation is becoming normal as all the schools have re-opened and buses are plying normally," Verma said.

He said the shops would also open gradually as there had been no disturbance over the past two days and the identity of outsiders in the area was also being verified.

Arjun Singh, the former Trinamool Congress local MLA who defected to the BJP just before the elections and won the Barrackpore Lok Sabha seat, conducted a meeting with businessmen asking them to resume work.

The region, which falls under the Barrackpore parliamentary constituency, has been tense since the election results were announced on May 23.

Two persons were killed and several others injured after the police opened fire a following a fresh flare-up on Thursday. Prohibitory orders were imposed later in the area.