KOLKATA: Police denied permission for a rally to be attended by Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) president Aishe Ghosh in Durgapur on Wednesday as a procession by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was scheduled in the same route there.
The permission was not granted because of security-related issues, police sources said.
Banerjee, also the Trinamool Congress supremo, took out a rally in the industrial town of Durgapur in West Burdwan district to denounce the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.
SFI national committee leader Mayukh Biswas said it showed that the TMC government is scared of the popularity of Ghosh and wanted to know if the TMC was really serious in its opposition to the CAA.
"We are surprised. The rally by Mamata Banerjee and our proposed march would not have come in each other's way. We had planned to hit the streets at 5 pm, much after the chief minister's rally. We had informed the police about the route and timing. The decision of the TMC-controlled administration is arbitrary," Biswas told reporters.
The JNU student leader was scheduled to lead a rally covering 4 kilometres to protest against the "saffronisation of education" by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
She had suffered head injuries during the violence at the JNU on the night of January 5 as a group of masked people armed with sticks attacked students and teachers, besides damaging property on the campus.
Claiming that Ghosh has become synonymous with anti-fascism protests, the SFI has invited her to take part in anti-CAA programmes in Kolkata on two successive days from Thursday.
SFI's Presidency University unit will organise a 'Fight Against Fascism' rally from College Square to Shyambazar five-point crossing in north Kolkata on Thursday where Ghosh will be at the forefront, SFI leader Debnil Paul told PTI.
On Friday, she will also attend a programme inside the Presidency University campus against CAA, attacks on campuses and abnormal hike in education fees, he said.
She will also take part in a campaign rally for SFI candidates in Jadavpur University students union polls on the same day.
Asked to comment on the SFI's plans, ABVP's state secretary Saptarshi Sarkar said, "Earlier they used to rope in Kanhaiya Kumar for their events. It appears his validity has expired and they are now bringing Aishe Ghosh who is behind all the disturbances in JNU."