Hundreds of students participated in Chhatra Samaj's 'Nabanna Abhijan' rally on Tuesday, demanding the resignation of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and action against those responsible for the alleged rape-murder of a doctor in RG Kar hospital. A huge number of youth holding Tricolours in their hands and banners demanding action in the rape case were seen marching towards the secretariat in the different parts of Kolkata. The visuals from Kolkata showed that several students tried to break barricades erected by the police to stop them.
Protestors pelted stones as they agitate over RG Kar Medical College and Hospital rape-murder case.
After the crackdown on the marchers, the Kolkata Police detained them at Howrah Bridge. Meanwhile, BJP has criticised the police action and said alleged that Mamata govt is standing with the accused.
"Police are targeting armless youth. We came here to seek accountability from the Mamata government but the police personnel are attacking us," said one of the protesters during the clash with police near Howrah Bridge.
The police resorted to lathicharge and used water cannons and tear gas to stop protesters as they were adamant about proceeding ahead towards the secretariat. A few incidents of stone-pelting were also reported. Some protesters targeted security personnel during the violent march.
The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and West Bengal Police expressed their apprehension of potential disruptions during the rally, but, the student organisation said its rally will be peaceful.
Chhatra Samaj spokesperson Sayan Lahiri said, "The claims made by the TMC and police are baseless. We aim to raise our demands peacefully. If we are stopped, we will attempt to proceed to the secretariat gate in a non-violent manner to demand the CM's resignation due to her failure to prevent incidents like the RG Kar case which has shocked the nation."
Lahiri claimed that the rallies, which will start from several places and move towards Nabanna, are organised by an apolitical platform with no affiliations to the BJP, RSS, or ABVP.
He noted, "We have informed the police about the rally via email and discussed it with senior officers multiple times. The allegations that our rally is illegal are untrue."
Police vs Suvendhu Adhikari
BJP leader and LoP West Bengal Legislative Assembly Suvendhu Adhikari on Tuesday accused Mamata Banerjee's government of disappearing four students who were set to participate in the Nabanna Abhijan rally.
Reacting to the Adhikari's claim, West Bengal Police said they have arrested these four students as they were planning to orchestrate large-scale violence during the Nabanna Abhijan today.
"A certain political leader has been trying to create a false narrative about four students who have apparently been missing since last night. The truth is, nobody is missing. The four were planning to orchestrate large-scale violence during the Nabanna Abhijan today, and were involved in a conspiracy of murder and attempted murder. They have been arrested in the Interest of public safety and security, and their families have been informed," the police said in an X post.
Who is holding the rally?
The call for March to Nabanna, the Bengal state secretariat, was separately given by an unregistered students’ body Paschim Banga Chhatra Samaj (West Bengal Students Community) and the Sangrami Joutha Mancha (Joint Platform of Struggle), an organisation of state government employees who have been agitating since long demanding their DA to be made at par with their Central government counterparts.
Police have received credible intelligence suggesting attempts would be made by miscreants to mix among protestors and incite large-scale violence and chaos during the rally, said ADG (Law and Order) Manoj Verma while addressing reporters at Nabanna.
Elaborate security arrangements in place
West Bengal Police made elaborate security arrangements ahead of the rally. More than 6,000 police personnel of Kolkata Police were deployed from 8 am today.
Highlights on security
- 26 DC rank officers will be present during rally
- Barricading has been erected at 19 places
- Surveillance with the help of drones
- 21 police officers of IG and DIG rank deployed
- 13 SP and Deputy Commissioner level police officers at work
- 15 Additional Police Commissioners and Additional Superintendent of Police rank officers
- 22 Additional Commissioner and Deputy Superintendent level police officers
- 26 Inspector rank officers are deployed
- 19,00 lathi-wielding and non-lathi-wielding police personnel stationed
- More than 160 DCRF personnel deployed around Nabanna
- The Chief Secretary, Home Secretary, and DGP will be present in Nabanna
- CP Vineet Goyal will control from the Police Headquarters Control Room
Prohibitory orders near Nabanna imposed
The government has already imposed prohibitory orders near Nabanna under Section 163 of BNSS preventing the assembly of five or more persons.
Calling the rally a “conspiracy” to cause chaos on the streets, the Trinamool Congress released a couple of purported videos of BJP leaders from Ghatal in Paschim Medinipur district planning to incite violence at the rally.
Both leaders were detained for questioning by the police.
Meanwhile, in a video message released by the Raj Bhavan late Monday evening, Governor CV Ananda Bose urged the state government not to use power to stop the students from organising the rally.
"In the context of the peaceful protest announced by the students' community of West Bengal tomorrow and the reported suppression of the protest by several instructions from the government, I would urge the government to remember the strong pronouncement of the Supreme Court of India. Let not the power of the state of West Bengal be unleashed on peaceful protestors," Bose said.
SC allows peaceful protests
Earlier, the Supreme Court on August 22 said peaceful protests over the incident shall not be disturbed or disrupted by the West Bengal government. The court, however, clarified that it has not injuncted the state government from exercising lawful powers.
Later in the evening, ADG, South Bengal Supratim Sarkar told reporters that the police rejected applications of both organisations which were sent to the police at the eleventh hour.
"We have received separate mails from the two organisations only after we held a press conference earlier in the day. The one from ‘Chhatra Samaj’ was only an intimation about the programme having no details on the rally and did not seek any permission. Hence it was rejected," Sarkar said.
“The second application had details of their expected turnout and other relevant information but was also rejected because of two reasons.
First, a significant number of students would appear for their scheduled UGC-NET examinations on Tuesday, and second, permission is not granted to anyone to hold any gathering around the Nabanna due to the existing prohibitory orders in that area,” he added.
Sarkar appealed to people to maintain a normal life and not get swayed by provocations or walk into any kind of trap.
(With PTI inputs)
Also read: Kolkata Police issues advisory ahead of UGC NET re-exam amid planned protest
