Kolkata Murder Case: Security Heightened In Nabanna As Students' Body Calls For Protest Against Doctor's Death
The area around Nabanna has been turned into a fortress following the deployment of police personnel after Paschimbanga Chhatra Samaj organised a rally against the RG Kar murder.
Kolkata Rape-Murder Case: In the wake of the rally organised by the student organisation Paschimbanga Chhatra Samaj on Tuesday, August 27 against the rape-murder of a trainee doctor in RG Kar hospital, the Kolkata Police has made tight security arrangements to avoid chaos in the city. More than 6,000 Kolkata Police personnel were deployed in the city on Tuesday.
The area around Nabanna, the West Bengal secretariat in Howrah, has been turned into a fortress following heavy deployment of police personnel, according to an India Today report. A three-layered security by Kolkata Police and Howrah City Police has been deployed for the march called by Paschimbanga Chhatra Samaj.
#WATCH | West Bengal: Security tightened around Nabanna, which houses the State Secretariat, and across Howrah in wake of a march to Nabanna, called over RG Kar Medical College and Hospital rape-murder case. pic.twitter.com/1OetK5SU9M
— ANI (@ANI) August 27, 2024
The student organisation Chhatra Samaj has organised a 'Nabanna Abhijan' rally which it claims will be peaceful and will be focused on focused on demanding the resignation of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the arrest of those responsible for the alleged rape-murder of a doctor in RG Kar hospital.
#WATCH | West Bengal: Security personnel deployed across Kolkata and all Police arrangements in wake of a march to Nabanna, called over RG Kar Medical College and Hospital rape-murder case.
— ANI (@ANI) August 27, 2024
Visuals from Santragachi Barricade in Howrah. pic.twitter.com/8cZn9q0VV9
According to news agency PTI, the call for March to Nabanna 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.
Apart from Kolkata Police and Howrah City Police, combat forces, Heavy Radio Flying Squads (HRFS), Rapid Action Force (RAF), Quick Reaction Teams (QRT), and water cannons have been deployed to mitigate the possibility of any chaos during the march.
According to the India Today report, barricades have been installed at 19 points. Besides this, five aluminium barricades have been erected on other crucial points.
Several high-rank officers including Additional Commissioner of Police-rank officer, Officers in the ranks of Joint CP and DCP are set to take charge of monitoring law and order on several points including Howrah Bridge, Hastings, and Hooghly Bridge. The police are focused on key points like Hastings, Shibpur Road, Howrah Bridge, and Howrah Maidan, as per the India Today report.
Kolkata Police Issues Advisory For UGC NET Candidates
Earlier, the Kolkata Police has issued an advisory for candidates set to appear in the UGC NET June 2024 on Tuesday. August 27.
In the advisory, the Kolkata Police has said that adequate police presence on the roads so that no UGC-NET candidate has difficulty reaching their examination centre. The police advisory further stated that In case of any emergency, candidates are requested to seek help from the nearest police personnel, or contact the nearest police station.
In a post on X, the Kolkata Police wrote "Tuesday, August 27, is the day when several candidates are scheduled to take the UGC-NET exam from 9.30 am-12.30 pm and again from 3.00-6.00 pm. An organisation calling itself ‘Paschimbanga Chhatro Samaj’ has called for a ‘Nabanna Abhiyan’ on the same day. We have ensured adequate police presence on the roads so that no UGC-NET candidate has difficulty reaching their examination centre. In case of any emergency, candidates are requested to seek help from the nearest police personnel, or contact the nearest police station."
Kolkata Police Dubbed Protests 'Illegal'
The state police have called the scheduled rallies, support for which has been mainly garnered over social media platforms, as "illegal" and “unauthorized”. Police have stated that they have taken necessary precautions to allay apprehensions about potential law and order situations during the march.
Addressing reporters at Nabanna, ADG (Law and Order) Manoj Verma said that 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.
The government has already imposed prohibitory orders near Nabanna under Section 163 of BNSS preventing the assembly of five or more persons.
TMC Calls It 'Conspiracy'
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.
The apex 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.
Nabanna Abhijan' Rally Will Be Peaceful, Says Chhatra Samaj
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," as quoted by news agency PTI.
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."
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