Kolkata Braces For Student Protest, 4,000 Police Personnel Deployed Amid Fears Of 'Serious Breach Of Peace'

Kolkata may face heightened tensions as a student group plans a march to demand justice for the R.G. Kar Medical Collegerape-murder case. The police that the rally was planned without the required permission.

West Bengal's capital city Kolkata is set for heightened tensions on Tuesday as the 'Paschimbanga Chhatro Samaj' has called for a major protest march, known as the 'Nabanno Abhiyaan (march to Secretariat)', in response to the rape-murder case at R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital. The protest, which aims to draw attention to the horrific crime, will see thousands of students and activists marching from College Square to the state secretariat.

Additional Commissioner of Police Kolkata, Supratim Sarkar, criticised the organisers for not following required protocols. According to news agency ANI, he stated, "They had announced through social media and the press that they will be undertaking a programme called Nabanno Abhiyaan on 27th August, but they did not seek permission, which is a mandatory requirement as far as the High Court directives. We have received two emails from different organisations, including one from the Paschimbanga Chhatro Samaj, but this was merely an intimation rather than a formal permission letter. The details needed for the peaceful execution of the programme were not provided. Hence, their application has been rejected."

Sarkar added that the timing of the protest poses additional challenges due to the UGC NET national exam scheduled for the same day. "Allowing such a congregation will invariably result in traffic disruption, causing serious inconvenience to the candidates."

"There are inputs that there may be a serious breach of peace and Nabanno is a high security zone," he further mentioned.

Kolkata Student Protest: 4,000 Police Personnel Deployed, Barricades To Come Up At 7 Key Points

To manage the anticipated large turnout, Kolkata police will station approximately 4,000 personnel across various strategic locations, including key junctions with the neighbouring Howrah district. This is in addition to the 2,000 officers already assigned to secure the area around Nabanna in Howrah, news agency IANS reported. Senior officers, including 97 high-ranking officials, will oversee the operation to ensure order during the demonstration.

Despite the state government's efforts to halt the rally, a division bench of the Calcutta High Court rejected the plea on 23rd August. Earlier, on 21st August, the Supreme Court had remarked that while the law would take its course, peaceful protests should not be forcibly stopped.

In preparation for potential disruptions, the police will employ barricades at seven key points throughout the city, utilise water cannons if necessary, and conduct drone surveillance to monitor the rally, as per IANS.

The protest organisers have called on participants to join the march without political affiliations, echoing a similar call made by women for a midnight march on Independence Day to demand justice for the R.G. Kar victim.