Kolkata Rape Case: When the city was still reeling under the after-effects of the horrific incident at the R.G. Kar Medical College, the City of Joy is preparing for yet another wave of turmoil with more than 6,000 personnel from Kolkata Police being deployed across the city today. The huge police presence is in anticipation of the ‘Nabanna Abhijan’ protest march being organized by Paschimbanga Chhatra Samaj, a student outfit that was demanding the resignation of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The protest was triggered in the backdrop of the tragic rape and murder at the government institute earlier this month by a gang of miscreants—a heinous crime that sent shockwaves across the state.
A City Under Siege
The focus of today’s agitation is Nabanna, the Howrah-based secretariat of West Bengal, converted into a fortress with layers of security, indicating the apprehension of the state due to the possible turn of events. Other forces include the Rapid Action Force, Heavy Radio Flying Squads, and Quick Reaction Teams; even some water cannons have been arranged in case of any spark at the time of the march.
In order to block the agitators before reaching Nabanna, the authorities have set up 19 strategic points of barricades, which include five major locations where aluminum barricades have been put up. The Additional Commissioner of Police has been entrusted with the responsibility of keeping provocations within the permissible limits of law and order, while officers of Joint CP and DCP rank have been deployed at critical junctions like Howrah Bridge, Hooghly Bridge, and Hastings. In fact, the Kolkata Police have also approached the organizers of ‘Nabanna Abhijan’ for details about the number of crowd expected and the leaders who will take the lead along with the routes. However, the organizers did not respond to the calls by the police, which in turn only created more tension in the city.
Anticipated Traffic Havoc
As the clock nears the rallies that are supposed to start from 1 pm, the City is getting prepared for a big mess in traffic. The important traffic arteries and junctions like Vidhyasagar Setu and its ramps, Khidderpore Road, DH Road, Taratala Road may be seriously affected. Other localized areas are JL Nehru Road, RR Avenue, Red Road, Howrah Bridge among others. The western part of Kolkata, though would have many severities, more congested especially around the Dock and Port System.
Keeping in view these imminent breakdowns, the state police have already declared the rallies “illegal” and “unauthorized,” expressing their apprehensions of possible law and order problems. Addressing a press meet at Nabanna, ADG (Law and Order) Manoj Verma further informed that the intelligence had reported that such miscreants might try to enter protestors with the objective of causing disturbances leading to violence and havoc. This has made the events of today even more nail-biting.
Needs of the Protestors
Students from various universities are leading the ‘Nabanna Abhijan’ protest, which they claim is apolitical. The three key demands-in justice to the murdered doctor, capital punishment to the culprit involved in the killing, and the resignation of Mamata Banerjee since she will also be to blame for this murder incident by being the state’s health minister as well as the head of police-have been articulated by Prabir Das from Rabindra Bharati University, Subhankar Halder from Kalyani University, and Sayan Lahiri from Rabindra Mukta University.
Yet the protest, against the odds, has gained momentum, but the movement has now turned divisive in nature in the political spectrum of the state. The TMC members blamed Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari for provoking the entire incident of violence, saying that earlier he had stated that “bullets will be fired on August 27.” The BJP, throughout the events, has shied away from overtly participating in the march, but has given open support. The CPI-M, on the other hand, has kept itself away from the protest with party leaders claiming it was a protest by an “RSS-backed body.” The student and youth wings of the CPI-M, SFI and DYFI respectively, have also kept themselves away from the ‘Nabanna Abhijan’.
A City on Edge
The people are now forced to cower in fear as Kolkata braces for what may be an extremely turbulent day. An incident at R.G. Medical College, which would be another in a series of similarly tragic events, has mainly scarred Kolkata; today’s events could unfold only a sense of insecurity that gripped the city. As much as the protesters were determined to ensure their voices were heard, and the state determined to maintain flagging measures, the success of the ‘Nabanna Abhijan’ was questionable, though it was apparent that the day would be of high drama, with colossal stakes for any members of the public involved.