West Bengal Government Employees Seek High Court Protection Amid Police Action Over Protest

On Monday, the Joint Forum of West Bengal government employees filed a petition with the Calcutta High Court, seeking legal protection against potential police coercion following an FIR against some of their members.

The FIRs stem from their participation in the Nabanna Abhijan, a protest march to the state secretariat held on 29 August, which condemned the rape-murder case involving RG Kar Medical College & Hospital.

The Joint Forum, representing various state government employees advocating for dearness allowance parity with Central government standards and related arrears, has supported the Nabanna Abhijan.

A coalition of students, supported by forum members, organized the 27 August march to voice concerns about the tragic incident at RG Kar Medical College.

The registration of FIRs against participating forum members has led the organization to seek anticipatory protection from the High Court.

They are concerned about the possibility of imminent arrests and have appealed to Justice Rajarshi Bhardwaj’s single-judge bench for relief.

The petition’s timing coincides with a related development: last week, Justice Amrita Sinha’s bench ordered the release of Sayan Lahiri, one of the Nabanna Abhijan conveners, who had been detained by police.

Although Lahiri was freed on 31 August, the state government has contested this decision, prompting the Supreme Court to schedule a hearing on the matter for Monday.

The protest on 27 August escalated into significant clashes between demonstrators and police, with authorities making 220 arrests during the unrest and an additional 25 preventive arrests prior to the march.

The situation turned volatile in Kolkata and neighboring Howrah district, highlighting the intense confrontation between the protesters and law enforcement.

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