Kolkata rape-murder: Student outfit’s ‘March to Nabanna’ rally illegal, say police

A day before the “March to Nabanna” protest rally of a student outfit, ‘Chhatra Samaj’, demanding resignation of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, West Bengal Police on Monday denounced the proposed march as “illegal”.

The police said no individual or organisation has sought permission to hold such a rally to “Nabanna”, the State secretariat.

The little-known student organisation, Paschim Banga Chhatra Samaj, called for resignation of the Chief Minister, also Trinamool Congress supremo, over the brutal rape and murder of a young woman doctor at state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.

West Bengal additional director general and inspector-general of police (Law and Order) Manoj Verma said no individual or organisation has sought permission to hold a rally to the State secretariat on Tuesday.

Verma said since Nabanna is a restricted area, any planned event there requires police approval, which is rarely granted. “We have learnt about the ‘Nabanna Abhijan’ rally through various media channels and social media. To date, neither any individual nor organisation has applied for permission, making the event illegal,” Verma told reporters.

The government has already imposed prohibitory orders near the State secretariat preventing assembly of five or more persons.

Verma further said the police have received intelligence suggesting attempts to incite large-scale violence and chaos during the rally.

Senior minister and Trinamool Congress leader Chandrima Bhattacharya also described the proposed protest rally on Tuesday as “illegal” and alleged that it was an attempt to incite widespread unrest in Kolkata.

“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 Chief Minister is politically motivated,” Bhattacharya said.

In a media conference, Chhatra Samaj claimed that their August 27 ‘Nabanna Abhijan’ rally would be peaceful and focused on demanding the resignation of Mamata Banerjee and the arrest of those responsible for the rape-murder of the on duty doctor.

‘Peaceful protest’

“The claims made by the Trinamool Congress and the police are baseless. We aim to raise our demands peacefully. We will attempt to proceed to the state secretariat gate in a non-violent manner to demand the CM’s resignation due to her failure to prevent incidents like the RG Kar case. The RG Kar incident has shocked the nation,” Chhatra Samaj spokesperson Sayan Lahiri told reporters.

Senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday alleged that the State government was attempting to divert attention from the protest rally called by the Chhatra Samaj.

Adhikari, also the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, accused the police of spreading rumours about the August 27 rally.

In a post on X, Adhikari said, “Mamata Police is deploying a sinister ‘toolkit’ to redirect protestors away from marching towards Nabanna, where they seek justice for the RG Kar PGT woman doctor. The West Bengal Government is clearly shaken by the viral call for the ‘Nabanna Abhijaan’ on August 27.”

Notably, the CBI has named Sandip Ghosh, former principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, in the FIR the agency has filed in connection with its probe into the alleged financial irregularities at the hospital during his tenure.