A protest march - 'Nabanna Abhiyan' - called over RG Kar rape and murder case turned violent after protestors broke police barricades at Santragachi in Howrah and clashed with cops prompting actions from the Kolkata Police.
The protest march, which started from College Square in Kolkata, was headed towards Nabanna, the state secretariat which houses the chief minister's office (CMO). The protesters were stopped at the iconic Howrah bridge, with the police resorting to lathi charge, firing water canons, and tear gas shells.
Ahead of the march, the Kolkata Police turned the high-security zone into a fortress and blocked all the roads leading up to Nabanna.
Reacting to police actions, BJP's Shehzad Poonawalla said that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was not behaving like Didi, but Idi Ameen. "Mamata Banerjee's government has protected the rapists, destroyed evidence, and suppressed the voice of truth, for which the Supreme Court and the High Court reprimanded. Now once again when the students, doctors, and common citizens' are taking out Nabanna Chalo Abhiyan' to demand justice for the daughter, Mamata Banerjee's government is blocking the roads."
BJP's IT Cell head Amit Malviya slammed Mamata Banerjee, saying that she is so scared of students' movement that she has ordered Kolkata Police to put large containers on the road to stop protesting citizens from reaching Nabanno. "Is she imagining students' seeking justice for the RG Kar rape and murder victim marching ahead in tanks?" he asked.
Malviya said the same Kolkata Police was a mute spectator when "Lungi Vahini of the TMC attacked peacefully protesting doctors at the RG Kar Medical College & Hospital" on the intervening night of 14-15th August.
The march was called by student organisation 'Paschim Banga Chhatra Samaj' and the 'Sangrami Joutha Mancha'. The administration had denied the permission and called it illegal. The rally to the state secretariat is focused on demanding the resignation of Mamata Banerjee and the arrest of those involved in the alleged rape and murder of a doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
Paschim Banga Chhatra Samaj is an unregistered student group, while Sangrami Joutha Mancha represents state government employees who are advocating for their Dearness Allowance (DA) to be aligned with that of Central government employees. The state police have termed the rally "illegal" and "unauthorized," citing concerns over potential violence and public disorder.
Ahead of the march, ADG (Law and Order) Manoj Verma said there was credible intelligence suggesting attempts by miscreants to incite chaos during the protest. Consequently, he said, the government had imposed prohibitory orders near Nabanna (state secretariat) under Section 163 of BNSS, restricting gatherings of five or more people.
(With inputs from PTI)