Tensions flared on Tuesday as police used water cannons to disperse protesters who clashed with law enforcement and dismantled barricades in Santragachi, Howrah, during the ‘Nabanna Abhijan’ protest march. The demonstration, organized in response to the alleged rape and murder of a trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, saw protesters dragging away police barricades and police responding with lathicharge and tear gas.
The ‘Nabanna Abhijan’ rally began at College Square in Kolkata, with demonstrators marching towards the West Bengal state secretariat. Protesters, including students and citizens, carried the national tricolor and chanted slogans as they advanced. To manage the crowds, West Bengal Police deployed heavy forces, including vajra vehicles, water cannons, and Riot Control Force, while placing roadblocks with containers.
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In anticipation of the protest, authorities had fortified the area around the state secretariat and greased the check gates at Fort William in an attempt to prevent protesters from scaling the barricades.
Governor Bose Emphasized
West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose has called for restraint, urging the state government not to use excessive force against peaceful protesters. In a video statement, Governor Bose emphasized the importance of upholding democratic principles and reminded the government of the Supreme Court’s stance on such matters. “Democracy cannot silence the majority,” he asserted.
Additional Commissioner of Police Supratim Sarkar announced that the police had rejected an application by the ‘Paschimbanga Chhatro Samaj’ to hold the ‘Nabanna Abhijan’ rally on August 27 due to lack of formal permission and insufficient details provided by the organizers.
However, the protests follow the brutal rape and murder of a trainee doctor, whose body was discovered in a seminar hall at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9. The incident has sparked nationwide outrage and multiple demonstrations demanding justice for the victim.
