Kolkata: Kolkata was thrown into chaos as the ‘Chhatra Samaj’s “Nabanna Abhijan”, a student rally to the state secretariat on Tuesday (August 27), turned violent.
The march, backed by the BJP and ostensibly organised to protest the rape and murder of a doctor at the R.G. Kar Hospital, quickly spiralled out of control, leading to frequent clashes with the police.
Police arrested over 200 people in connection with the march.
Despite the absence of an active BJP student wing in West Bengal, three relatively unknown “student leaders” affiliated with the BJP who claimed to be non-political called for this march.
In a press conference on Monday, Shubhankar Haldar, one of the organisers, who has sexual harassment cases against him, admitted his link with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
Posters for the march said they were organised by the ‘Chhatra Samaj’, but little is known about the body or who runs it. Opposition parties in the state claim it is a shadow organisation of the BJP.
Although officially organised as a student protest, the march saw the participation of people from various districts in south Bengal, with many attendees wearing saffron tilaks and attire.
The situation escalated when protesters attacked and injured multiple police officers.
RSS leaders, with their faces concealed, were reported to have led the attacks.
Rather than arrive as a united group, the protesters came separately to College Street.
Dhruba Saha, the BJP’s Birbhum district president, was seen at College Street, where many participants carried religious symbols.
State police had earlier received intelligence suggesting that the protest may incite violence by using women and students as shields, potentially provoking police action. As a result, stringent security measures were implemented across the city, with guardrails and containers placed at key points.
However, despite the deployment of nearly 6,000 police officers, a lack of coordination among the forces led to a violent standoff, turning the area between College Street and Sealdah into a battlefield.
Protestors and security forces face each other on Tuesday’s march to Nabanna. Photos: Joydeep Sarkar.
With no barricades in place, the situation further deteriorated. Around 2:30 pm, as police began clearing the area, BJP workers retaliated by throwing bricks. At College Street, many police officers were seen fleeing the scene.
BJP protesters attacked Surendranath College, tearing down Trinamool Congress (TMC) hoardings and hurling stones. TMC supporters retaliated, and despite a large police presence, the attackers continued their assault from within the nearby railway area.
Police eventually fired over a hundred tear gas shells to disperse the crowd.
In the afternoon, state BJP leaders began a sit-in at Lalbazar, the Kolkata police’s headquarters, to protest against the police action. BJP leaders including MP Arjun Singh, Kaustav Bagchi, Tapas Roy, state president Sukanta Majumdar and opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari also took part in the protest rally.
The state’s main opposition party has called for a strike from 6 am to 6 pm on Wednesday to protest the police action against those involved in the ‘Nabanna’ march. Nabanna is the name of the building that houses West Bengal’s secretariat.
“We will start our sit-in the day after tomorrow. On August 30, under the banner of our women’s front, we call on all women and people to take to the streets. This is not the BJP’s movement; it is a movement of society,” announced BJP state president Majumdar in a press conference.
Questioning the legitimacy of the movement, TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh posted on social media: “Is this a student movement or a movement of anti-social elements? Are they students? Everyone saw who broke the barricades. The police did what was necessary to stop the unruly crowd. There was no repression. Now, they’ve called for a bandh in Bengal! Their masks have been [taken off].”
Countering the BJP’s call for a bandh, the state government has issued a clear directive to the citizens of the state urging them not to observe the bandh and to maintain normalcy.
Government employees have been ordered to report to work as usual, while shops and markets, particularly those involved in Durga Puja preparations, have been instructed to remain open.
Private transport organisations have also been asked to ensure regular operations, with the state government promising compensation for any potential losses.
Nabanna also warned of legal action to ensure the normal operation of all transport services.
“It is our duty and right to demand an investigation and justice. But the attempt to paralyse Kolkata today and Bengal tomorrow is completely unacceptable. Students have exams and ongoing studies. Durga Puja shopping has started. The future of numerous businessmen, professionals, and workers is at risk. We urge everyone not to participate in this bandh,” declared Alapan Bandyopadhyay, the advisor to chief minister Mamata Banerjee.
Translated from the Bengali original by Aparna Bhattacharya.
This article was edited to reflect the correct day (Wednesday) of the BJP’s strike.
