Kolkata security beefed up ahead of protest seeking CM’s resignation
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, August 26
Security has been beefed up in Kolkata in view of a call given for “Nabanna Abhiyan” tomorrow to protest against the rape and murder of a young woman doctor of Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College Hospital.
A number of schools in the city have decided to hold their classes online and asked the students not to come to school. Similarly, some of the offices have also asked their employees to work from home.
The call for the protest programme has been given by Paschimbanga Chhatra Samaj, said to be an umbrella organisation of students. However, the TMC said the BJP was the actual force behind the proposed protest.
“Nabanna” is the name of West Bengal secretariat where Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee sits. The main objective of tomorrow’s programme is to force Mamata Banerjee to resign, taking responsibility for the state’s “abysmal law and order scenario”.
The TMC on Monday posted videos on X showing two men allegedly talking about inciting violence during the programme tomorrow. The ruling party alleged that the men seen in the videos were BJP workers.
“Shocking videos have emerged indicating a sinister conspiracy behind the Nabanna Abhiyan tomorrow. The BJP has resorted to the politics of dead bodies under the camouflage of justice. Instead of asking the CBI to expedite probe, this is what the BJP is busy doing,” TMC wrote on X.
Addressing a press conference in Kolkata, BJP state chief Sukanta Majumdar expressed doubt about the authenticity of the video and said whenever the TMC faced problem in the state, the police came out with a so-called sting video to help the regime. The purpose of the latest video was to the dissuade students from taking part in the protest, he said and added that TMC leaders, including Mamata Banerjee, were “trembling in fear” in anticipation of the agitation tomorrow.
Majumdar, a member of the Lok Sabha from Balughart in West Bengal, said the BJP would support anyone who would rise against the Mamata Banerjee government on the issue of the rape and murder of the woman doctor.
“For instance, we have a huge ideological difference with the CPM but even if the CPM holds a protest against the TMC on the rape-murder issue, we will support them”, Majumdar said.
The Left parties have distanced themselves from the protest march calling it a BJP-RSS ploy to distract the “people’s movement” over the rape and murder.
The police admitted to receiving two applications this afternoon from two organisations giving intimation about the programme tomorrow. It, however, said both applications had been rejected in view of the UGC –NET exam tomorrow and also because the applications arrived at the last moment.
