Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Aug 27: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has given a call for a 12-hour bandh in West Bengal on Wednesday to protest against the alleged police excesses on those who took part in the supposed to be apolitical march to the state secretariat Nabanna on Tuesday demanding the resignation of the chief minister Mamata Banerjee for the brutal rape and murder of the trainee postgraduate doctor at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on August 9.
The saffron camp’s action came after the Kolkata Police used batons, tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowd who gathered at the Howrah Bridge and proceeded to Nabanna. Though the Nabanna Abhiyan” march to the state secretariat was announced by an unregistered body claiming to be a students’ organisation named Paschimbanga Chattro Samaj, many BJP supporters, several of them in saffron attire, participated in the rally. Nabanna is the name of the state secretariat from where the Government of West Bengal operates. It houses the offices of the Chief Minister and other top ministers and officials.
“We are forced to give the call for a general strike as this autocratic regime is turning a deaf ear to the voices of people, the demand for justice for the deceased doctor sister. Instead of justice, Mamata Banerjee’s police are turning on the peace-loving people of the state, who only wanted a safe and secure environment for women,” BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar said.
Chaotic scenes played out on the streets leading to Nabanna as police intercepted a protest march to the state secretariat. Riot police used teargas shells, water cannons and batons to stop the protesters from proceedings towards the state secretariat. Some of the protesters were also seen throwing stones towards the cops.
Fresh clashes broke out between police and protestors on GT Road in Howrah Maidan area when they tried to march towards the state secretariat. Police lathi-charged and used water cannons and tear gas to disperse protestors who threw stones and bricks at the security forces and attempted to topple barricades blocking their way to the state secretariat.
A policeman, who identified himself as the in-charge of Chanditala police station in Howrah Police Commissionerate, was injured in the clash. A similar situation unfolded in Hastings and MG Road area, where protestors threw stones at police, who were seen chasing them away.
In response to the BJP’s Bengal bandh call, the Trinamool Congress leaders slammed the saffron party saying that the party won’t sit silent and will hit back with full force. However, the BJP came out in support of its Bengal unit bandh call and stated that the protestors fighting against Mamata Banerjee government’s oppression was an “ultimate symbol of defiance.”
Standing in support of the bandh call, BJP national president, JP Nadda took to X and wrote, “The images of police highhandedness from Kolkata have angered every person who values democratic principles. In Didi’s West Bengal, to help rapists and criminals is valued but it’s a crime to speak for women’s safety.”
In addition to this, BJP IT Cell head Amit Malviya shared a video of a man holding the national flag as the police used water canon to disperse the protestors. “The man, waving a national flag, on the iconic Howrah Bridge, amidst blazing water cannon, is the ultimate symbol of defiance against an oppressive Mamata Banerjee regime,” Malviya wrote.
BJP leader Locket Chatterjee also reacted saying, “End anarchy, end fascism. We all demand the end of TMC’s tyranny. With the Tiranga in hand amid blasting water cannons, this man is defining his steadfast determination against the oppression of Mamata Banerjee. I stand by him, the people of the state stand by him and the entire country is standing by him.”
Following BJP’s bandh call, TMC leader Mahua Moitra hit back at the saffron party and said, “Police gets bricks thrown at them by ‘Chhatras’, SHO’s head split. Many policemen hurt. And BJP Bengal calls bandh to protest police ‘atrocities.’ Same old playbook.”
Another TMC leader Kunal Ghosh alleged that the BJP goons broke the barricades and attacked the Kolkata Police. “They are the ones who are calling the bandh for the deadlock. Fail this closure. Keep public life normal,” he said.
The police said no permission was given for the protest march and the ruling Trinamool Congress yesterday alleged a conspiracy to create unrest by instigating violence during the rally. Kolkata Police virtually turned Nabanna into a fortress and as many as 6,000 police personnel were deployed to stop the protesters from advancing the secretariat from any route. Drones were also used to keep a watch on the protesters. Barricades were welded into the ground and greased to prevent the protesters from scaling them.
This morning, a group of protesters gathered at College Square and marched towards Nabanna. They raised slogans demanding Ms Banerjee’s resignation over the horrific rape and murder case. Several student organisations and citizen forums have joined the protest. Visuals showed the protesters shaking the barricades in their way.
While the ruling Trinamool alleges this is a BJP-backed protest, the organisers have said it was a march planned by student organisations. Many of the outfits part of today’s protest were not registered organisations. Most known student outfits, including those affiliated to political parties, have distanced themselves from the protest.
This morning, Leader of the Opposition in Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, said four student activists part of the protest plan went missing after midnight. “The following Student Activists who were distributing food to the volunteers, who were arriving at Howrah Station, suddenly went missing after midnight :- Subhojit Ghosh, Pulokesh Pandit, Goutam Senapati, Pritam Sarkar. Neither they can be traced nor are they answering their phones. We apprehend that they may have been arrested/detained by the Mamata Police. If something happens to them Mamata Police will be held accountable,” Mr Adhikari said in a post on X.
Bengal police responded that the students were planning to orchestrate large-scale violence during Tuesday’s march “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,” they said. Mr Adhikari then said the families of the four students have approached the Calcutta High Court.
The Trinamool has said the march was an attempt to create chaos in the name of students’ protest. State minister Chandrima Bhattacharya told the media yesterday, “This is a BJP-ABVP plot to create disturbance. This is a plot to open fire by criminals in police uniform. Tomorrow there are exams. Can students do this? They are doing vulture politics.”
The Trinamool had released two videos to stress that there was a plot to create unrest. In the videos several men are heard saying, “we need bodies.” Trinamool leader Jayprakash Majumdar alleged, “The BJP leadership has been told that unless a Nandigram-type incident happens and there are dead bodies, the tide will not turn in BJP’s favour.”
Accusing Ms Banerjee of shielding those involved in the rape and murder of the trainee doctor, the BJP on Tuesday called her a “dictator” and demanded her resignation to ensure a fair probe into the matter. The BJP condemned the incident of lathi charge by the West Bengal Police on the students, who had taken out a rally in Kolkata demanding justice for the victim and the chief minister’s resignation.
West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Front in an official statement said the student rally was not called by them and they would not participate in the march. Major roads leading to the Secretariat were barricaded and thousands of police were deployed across Kolkata anticipating violence during the march.
BJP leader Shehzad Poonawalla took a jibe at West Bengal Chief Minister and said if so much security had been provided at the RG Kar hospital then it would not have been desecrated by miscreants on the night of August 14.
“Three-tier security has been provided and 6,000 policemen have been deployed. If so much security had been given at R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital then the crime scene would not have been desecrated. If so much security had been provided at the college then there would not have been injustice with the trainee doctor…” he said.