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More than 6,000 Kolkata Police personnel have been deployed in the city on Tuesday in the wake of a planned protest march to Nabanna, the West Bengal secretariat in Howrah, by a student outfit to demand Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's resignation amid huge outrage over the rape-murder of a 31-year-old trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
The area around Nabanna has been turned into a fortress with three-layered security by Kolkata Police and Howrah City Police in place for the 'Nabanna Abhijan' called by Paschimbanga Chhatra Samaj. Barricades have been installed at 19 points, while five aluminium barricades have been erected at other key points.
Additional forces from different districts have already been brought to Kolkata. Apart from Kolkata Police and Howrah City Police, Heavy Radio Flying Squads (HRFS), Rapid Action Force (RAF), Quick Reaction Teams (QRTs), drones and water cannons have been deployed to tackle any possible chaos during the protest.
An Additional Commissioner of Police-rank officer is in charge of maintaining law and order. Officers in the ranks of Joint CP and DCP will be in charge at various points, including Howrah Bridge, Hastings and Hooghly Bridge. The police are focusing on key points like Hastings, Shibpur Road, Howrah Bridge and Howrah Maidan.
The Kolkata Police has emailed the organiser of 'Nabanna Abhijan', seeking details on how many people would be present at the rally, names of leaders who would lead the protest march, how many rallies would be held and the route of the protest. However, the police have not received any response from the student outfit so far.
Earlier on Monday, the West Bengal Police said on Monday that the protest was "illegal" and they did not receive any permission for holding such a march towards Nabanna. The police cited intelligence inputs over possible chaos and violence and conspiracy against the police personnel during the protest.
According to an intelligence report, two huge rallies will be organised from College Square in Kolkata and Santragachi in Howrah.
Rallies are expected to begin at 1 pm on Tuesday. Special arrangements have been made at College Square as police got intelligence inputs of a large number of people gathering there.
The distance from College Square to Nabanna is 10 kilometres and the other rally from Santragachi in Howrah to Nabanna is around three kilometres.
The rally will be organised by Prabir Das, an MA student from Rabindra Bharati University, Subhankar Halder, MA BEd of Kalyani University and Sayan Lahiri of Rabindra Mukta University. The students claimed they were apolitical and demanded the resignation of Mamata Banerjee.
Speaking to the media, Lahiri asserted that the protest began with a Facebook post that stated that the Chief Minister was "incompetent". He said the protest had three goals.
"We have three demands -- justice for Abhaya, capital punishment for the culprit and Mamata Banerjee’s resignation because she is not just the health minister but also handles the state police," Lahiri said.
Interestingly, the protesting junior doctors who are leading the movement seeking justice for the trainee doctor, whose semi-naked body was found at the seminar hall of RG Kar hospital on August 9, have distanced themselves from Tuesday's call for 'Nabanna Abhijan'. Instead, they have called for a separate rally in Central Kolkata on Wednesday.
In view of the planned 'Nabanna Abhijan' march, traffic movement is likely to be affected at Vidyasagar Setu and its ramps, Khidderpore Road, Taratala Road, DH Road, Circular Garden, Reach Road, Garden Reach Road, Hide Road, Coal Berth Road, Remount Road, all other feeder roads connecting these major roads, and western part of Kolkata, including Kolkata Dock and Port System.
Other places where traffic could be impacted are: JL Nehru Road, RR Avenue, Red Road, New Road, Dufferin Road, Mayo Road, Outram Road, Hospital Road, Lovers Lane, Queensway, Casuarina Avenue, Cathedral Road, AJC Bose Road, SN Banerjee Road, Old Court House Street, Council House Street, Kingsway, St Georges Gate Road, Strand Road, MG Road, Strand Bank Road, KK Tagore Street, Kalakar Street, Brabourne Road and Howrah Bridge.
Goods vehicles and other vehicular traffic may also be diverted from any of the arterial roads and feeder roads by the traffic police on duty as and when considered necessary on the day. The restrictions will come into place on Tuesday in addition to other normal restrictions.
At a press conference, the Trinamool Congress aired videos alleging that the BJP was organising the 'Nabanna Abhijan' and wanted to incite violence during the protest.
Trinamool leaders Chandrima Bhattacharya and Kunal Ghosh showed videos and claimed that BJP leaders were planning to incite police to fire at protesters.
Bhattacharya stated that Mamata Banerjee herself had walked the streets and demanded justice for the trainee doctor.
"The whole matter is in Supreme Court. No permission has been taken from the police for 'Nabanna Abhijan'. Police permission is required for any kind of rally but no one has approached police so far. Now it is clear who is behind it. They are taking the name of the student forum. Prohibitory orders have been imposed in and around Nabanna," she said.
"Protests can be done with permission and peacefully, but anarchy in the name of protest cannot be allowed. Leader of the Opposition (Suvendu Adhikari) had already said that bullets would be fired on August 27," she added.
The BJP hit back and refuted Trinamool's allegations and said it was not associated with the protest march. However, the party said it would support the movement.
"It is not called by the BJP. We support anyone who is speaking up against atrocities. We understand that Mamata Banerjee wants to politicise the issue. It is a mass social issue," BJP leader Rahul Sinha said.
On the other hand, the CPI-M, once a dominant force in West Bengal, said it would not participate in the 'Nabanna Abhijan' protest, alleging that it was being organised by an "RSS-backed body".
CPI-M leader Minakshi Mukherjee stated that the Students' Federation of India (SFI) and Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), the student and youth wing of the party, would not participate in the protest march.
On August 9, the body of the trainee doctor, a second-year postgraduate student, was found in the seminar hall of RG Kar hospital. An autopsy later confirmed that the victim, who was a postgraduate second-year student, was raped and murdered.
Sanjoy Roy, a civil volunteer associated with Kolkata Police, was arrested the next day in connection with the incident and is in judicial custody. The CBI, which is probing the rape-murder case, conducted a polygraph test on Roy on Sunday.
Several protests have been held in Kolkata and elsewhere across the country, demanding action against the culprits in the case and justice for the victim. The protesters, including nurses and resident doctors, are demanding strict laws to deal with rape and murder.
Meanwhile, the Kolkata Police have extended prohibitory orders near RG Kar Medical College and Hospital for one more week till August 31.
The orders, which were first imposed on August 18, restrict meetings and gatherings of more than five people in the designated area. The extension is intended to prevent disturbances and maintain peace and order in the area.
