KOLKATA: The ‘March to Nabanna’ programme in Kolkata on Saturday, called for demanding justice for the RG Kar victim, marked with scuffle between the participants and police in different places, which left the victim’s mother with injury before she got admitted to a private hospital on EM Bypass.
The mother of the RG Kar victim claimed that in the scuffle, her 'shankha' (traditional conch shell bangle) was broken and she sustained a head injury.
"Why are they stopping us by force? All we want is to reach Nabanna peacefully to seek justice for my daughter," she said.
The participants in the march demanded the resignation of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for 'failing to protect women in the state'.
On August 9, last year, a junior woman doctor’s body was found on a carpet in the seminar room on the third floor of the emergency building of the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital with multiple wounds. Later, investigations revealed that she was raped and murdered.
The investigation of the case was handed over to the CBI from the Kolkata Police. Later, Sanjoy Roy, a Kolkata Police civic volunteer, was found guilty of rape and murder by the Sealdah court in Kolkata in January 2025, and he was sentenced to life imprisonment.
But the victim’s parents are not satisfied with the CBI investigations. They believe that the roots of this incident are much deeper and involve a larger conspiracy. On the anniversary of the victim's death, her parents called for a march to Nabanna, the state administrative headquarters on Saturday.
However, the police had said on Friday that they would not allow the march. Instead, the police had mentioned two alternative places for holding protests. Both the West Bengal Police and Kolkata Police had made it clear that strict actions would be taken upon violation of rules and restrictions.
A tight security arrangement was made in central Kolkata and Howrah to stop the protesters. The police had put up barricades in different places and also stopped the vehicular movement on Howrah bridge and Vidyasagar Setu completely, which put the commuters into hardships to reach their destinations.
Several BJP leaders, including Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal, Suvendu Adhikari, joined Saturday’s march, giving up any party flag or banner. Instead, they took the national flag in their hands to maintain the sanctity of the protest march as ‘non-political’.
The gathering started after 11 am. Protesters gathered around Dorina Crossing at Esplanade, Santragachi and Howrah Bridge. Shortly before 1 pm, a procession started from Dorina Crossing towards Nabanna. The victim's parents were in that procession.
The police stopped the procession at Park Street. A scuffle with the police started there.
The protesters alleged that the Kolkata Police charged batons on them at the Park Street - J L Nehru Road crossing. According to local witnesses, the police assault took place when the protesters tried to break the police barricade and move towards Vidyasagar Setu in their bid to reach Nabanna.
The RG Kar victim’s mother alleged that four to five police personnel manhandled her during the scuffle between police and protesters.
“The police shoved me and pinned me to the ground. They broke my 'shankha' and I sustained injury on my forehead,” she said.
The RG Kar victim's father also alleged that the police tried to prevent the family from reaching Dorina Crossing to join the march, despite court permission for a peaceful rally.
In response Kolkata Police DC (Port) Harikrishna Pai said, “We have no information about the victim's parents getting beaten up by the police at the Park Street crossing. But their allegations will be duly investigated.”
However, according to Lalbazar sources, cases are to be filed against BJP MLA and former Indian cricketer Ashok Dinda allegedly for threatening and beating up the police during the protest march. The police also claimed that the protesters did not follow the order of the Calcutta High Court in organizing the march. The police also released a few videos of the protest march to justify their claims.
Adhikari, along with BJP leader Agnimitra Paul and other party MLAs held a sit-in at the Park Street-J L Nehru Road crossing, while alleging that more than 100 protesters, including Adhikari and other BJP leaders, were injured in police action.
Meanwhile, the victim's parents tried to go to Nabanna through the Race Course Road with about 20 protesters. However, the police stopped their procession there too. The victim's parents and other protesters held a sit-in there. However, after some time, the victim's mother fell ill. She was taken to a hospital. After receiving that news, Adhikari left Park Street and went to the hospital to see her.
After visiting the hospital, Adhikari alleged, “The truth is that Manoj Verma (Kolkata Police Commissioner) wants to save Vineet Goyal (He was Kolkata Police Commissioner when the RG Kar incident came to light in August last year). If there is any more bad language, then it will be appropriate for Mamata Banerjee’s Police. ...I am saying that they wanted to eliminate the victim’s parents, so that this case is closed. Because they are very scared, seeing their fight for justice.”
Slamming BJP for creating unrest in Kolkata on a festive day, Trinamool leader and West Bengal minister Shashi Panja said, “The BJP is trying to intimidate citizens and create division in society on the day of Raksha Bandhan. Today is the day when Rabindranath Tagore tied a Rakhi as a symbol of peace and communal harmony. However, BJP has shown no respect for Bengal’s traditions and are attempting to disrupt law and order while people celebrate the sacred bond of brotherhood and sisterhood. This is the real face of BJP - they are Bangla Birodhi!”