The police said allowing large gatherings would disrupt traffic and seriously inconvenience students going to attend the UGC-NET exam. Photo: PTI
What is ‘Nabanna Abhijan’ that has Mamata govt, Kolkata Police on tenterhooks?
Kolkata Police have denied permission citing traffic concerns and stepped-up security across the city anticipating violence during the protest
The 'Nabanna Abhijan' (March to the Secretariat) scheduled for Tuesday (August 27) in Kolkata has the city police on tenterhooks as they have deployed 6,000 personnel to ensure law and order.
What is Nabanna Abhijan?
It is a protest rally to the state Secretariat, Nabanna, and is one among a series of agitations organised by doctors, civil society organisations, and opposition parties in protest against the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at RG Kar Hospital early this month.
Who is behind the rally?
The Nabanna Abhijan is being organised by two groups with different objectives – the unregistered student body called 'Paschim Banga Chhatra Samaj' and the 'Sangrami Joutha Mancha', a group of state government employees.
What are their demands?
The student body is demanding the arrest of those responsible for the rape and murder of the trainee doctor at RG Kar Hospital and the resignation of the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
The government employees are demanding that their Dearness Allowance (DA) be brought in line with what the central government employees receive.
Is the march legal?
The police have denied permission for the march, and have made elaborate security arrangements to maintain law and order. The police have called the march “illegal and unauthorised”.
Kolkata’s Additional Commissioner of Police Supratim Sarkar said the organisers of the Abhijan made announcements through social media, but they did not seek permission from the police, which is a mandatory requirement as per the directives of the High Court.
Why have police denied permission for rally?
The police have mentioned traffic concerns as the reason for denying permission for the march.
The UGC-NET exam is being held on August 27, the day of the march, in which many candidates from the state are expected to participate. The police said allowing large gatherings would disrupt traffic and seriously inconvenience students going to attend the exam.
Do the police have other apprehensions?
The Kolkata Police said that they have received credible intelligence that attempts would be made by miscreants to infiltrate the protest march and incite large-scale violence and chaos.
What other measures have the police taken?
The government has imposed prohibitory orders near Nabanna (the secretariat) under Section 163 of the BNSS, preventing the assembly of five or more persons.
What is the Trinamool Congress alleging?
The ruling party in the state, Trinamool Congress, has called the rally a “conspiracy” aimed at creating chaos on the streets. In support of their claim, they have released videos allegedly showing BJP leaders from Ghatal in Paschim Medinipur district planning to unleash violence during the march.
What does the student body say in defence?
The Chhatra Samaj spokesperson Sayan Lahiri said that the claims made by the police and the TMC are baseless. He said they aimed to raise their demands peacefully, and will attempt to march to the secretariat in a non-violent manner.
He also said that the rallies, starting from different locations and heading towards Nabanna, are organised by an apolitical body with no ties to the BJP, RSS, or ABVP.
