Nabanna ‘Abhijan’: ‘About 36 cops injured, 5 admitted to hospitals’

TIRTHANKAR DAS, MP, 29 Aug 2024, Kolkata: The Nabanna ‘Abhijan’, organised by the Paschimbongo Chatro Somaj on Tuesday, erupted into violence as the protest spiraled out of control. 

Tensions escalated along both banks of the Ganges in the lead-up to the event. On Monday, ADG of South Bengal Supratim Sarkar declared the student-led protest illegal, alleging that the so-called ‘peaceful’ demonstration was a cover for planned violence. 

A sergeant who sustained injuries and was attacked by the mob shared his ordeal with Millennium Post. Police were alerted to vandalism and unrest near Princep Ghat and Eden Gardens. When officers arrived, they encountered violent protesters hurling stones. 

Sergeant Debashis Chakraborty was in a vehicle travelling from Eden Gardens towards Babughata when protesters blocked the road and began throwing stones. One of the stones struck his eye, shattering his glasses and embedding glass shards in his eye. 

(KN, Ed:  A report states that police sergeant Debashish Chakraborty has lost vision in his left eye after being hit by a brick during the Nabanna Abhijaan yesterday. Doctors say his cornea and retina have been severely damaged.)

An officer in the same vehicle recounted: “I handed my helmet to a colleague to shield the window. The three of us in the middle of the vehicle ducked down. Behind us, members of the Rapid Action Force (RAF) had their vehicle windows shattered. They used fiber shields to block the incoming stones. 

Our driver had to speed away from the area, narrowly avoiding a tip-over.” Similarly, the vehicle carrying the Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Anandapur Police Station was also attacked. Stones struck the driver’s eyes, causing severe bleeding and impairing his vision through the broken windshield. 

An officer in the back, with hand injuries, had to manage the steering wheel while instructing the driver to keep moving. 

In connection with the eye injury of Sergeant Debasish Chakraborty, a case has been registered at the Maidan Police Station on charges of attempt to murder and criminal conspiracy. 

Kolkata Police on Wednesday informed that the efforts are still on to identify and arrest the people who were seen attacking the cops on Tuesday during the march to Nabanna rally organised by Paschimbanga Chatra Samaj. 

The Anandapur OC sustained injuries and was admitted to SSKM Hospital, where he has since been stabilised and discharged. Several other officers remain under treatment at Medical College, SSKM and CMRI hospitals. 

DC Central Indira Mukherjee reported that nearly 36 cops were injured and five are still admitted. 

https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/rg-kar-case-16-days-gone-where-is-justice-mamata-asks-cbi-577511?infinitescroll=1