'Nabanna Abhijan' by Chhatra Samaj illegal, permission not sought: State Police

 Attempt to incite widespread unrest in city, says TMC; BJP denies involvement in march

ADG and IGP (Law and Order) Manoj Verma

PTI, KOLKATA, AUG 26, 2024 : Describing the proposed August 27 'Nabanna Abhijan' rally by student outfit 'Chhatra Samaj' to demand the resignation of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over the rape-murder of a doctor at R G Kar hospital as "illegal," West Bengal Police on Monday said they have taken necessary precautionary measures due to concerns about potential law and order issues during the march.

Talking to newspersons, West Bengal Additional Director General and Inspector-General of Police (Law and Order) Manoj Verma said no individual or organization has sought permission to hold such a rally to the state secretariat, 'Nabanna,' which is a restricted area. The government has already imposed prohibitory orders near Nabanna under Section 144 of the CrPC, preventing the assembly of five or more persons.

"We have learned about the 'Nabanna Abhijan' rally through various media channels and social media. To date, neither any individual nor organization has applied for permission, making the event illegal," Verma told reporters. He emphasized that since Nabanna is a restricted area, any planned event there requires police approval, which is rarely granted.

Verma also noted that police have received intelligence suggesting attempts to incite large-scale violence and chaos on August 27 during the rally. "We are getting inputs from various sources that miscreants with vested interests are trying to create a law and order situation to provoke a response from police, which they would then exploit," he said.

ADG (South Bengal) Supratim Sarkar  

Verma assured that police are working on these inputs and expressed willingness to assist the organizers if they choose an alternative location for their event. "We are prepared to make arrangements for them at other venues in Kolkata and Howrah, provided they follow legal procedures," he said. Additionally, Verma assured students appearing for Tuesday's UGC NET exams that ample arrangements are in place to ensure they can take the tests without any disruptions.

Meanwhile, senior state minister and TMC leader Chandrima Bhattacharya described the proposed 'Nabanna Abhijan' rally on Tuesday by a student outfit called Chhatra Samaj, demanding the resignation of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over the rape-murder of a post-graduate trainee doctor at R G Kar hospital, as an attempt to incite widespread unrest in Kolkata.

At a press conference here on Monday, Bhattacharya claimed that the rally has been called without police permission and suggested it was part of a plan by some elements to disrupt peace and stability in the state. Bhattacharya, who was joined by TMC leaders Kunal Ghosh and Joyprakash Majumdar, emphasized that the investigation into the rape-murder of the doctor has been transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and dismissed the call for the CM’s resignation as politically motivated.

"The call for this rally has been given on social media by Chhatra Samaj, which has not intimated police about their plans. We all want justice for the victim and exemplary punishment for the perpetrators. The case has been handed over to the CBI, and the demand for the resignation of the CM is politically motivated," she said.

Echoing her stand, Ghosh questioned the rationale behind the rally’s decision to march to Nabanna, the state secretariat, instead of the CBI office where the probe is underway. Ghosh presented videos purportedly showing two persons advocating for violence to ensure the rally's success, which he linked to right-wing groups and some leftists, including the CPM. He warned of potential disruptions, including outsiders being brought in and people possibly disguising themselves in police uniforms to provoke violence and blame the police.

"What these people—mostly right-wing forces like RSS and ABVP as well as some leftists backed by CPIM—really want is clear from these videos. They want deaths. We have information that people from outside the state are also being brought to foment unrest during the rally. We have also learned that some people in the rally will be wearing police uniforms and firing on people to shift the blame onto the police," he said.

Ghosh said elements out to destabilize Bengal are more interested in dislodging the CM from power after repeated rejections by the electorate in Bengal. In response, BJP Rajya Sabha MP and state spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya denied any involvement of the party in the rally, asserting that if any members of the saffron party attend, it would be in their individual capacity. The BJP, he said, has no official role in organizing the march. CPM leader Satarup Ghosh criticized the TMC’s claims as an expression of fear and desperation. He accused the TMC of panicking due to rising spontaneous protests and asserted that the CPM supports peaceful, democratic protests against the ruling party’s alleged misrule.

"We have repeatedly said BJP and right-wing organizations are behind the August 27 rally and none of the Left organizations will participate," Basu said.