CHENNAI/KOLKATA: Chants of ‘we want justice’ hung in the air. Flags of Mohun Bagan and East Bengal — two of the most iconic clubs in Kolkata’s grand football history — fluttered as one. Fans of these clubs, who do not like each other, joined hands to fight for a common cause. On Sunday evening, the accepted socio-cultural fabric of Kolkata, some of which is divided based on football fandom, were put on hold as they all demanded justice and protested the alleged rape and murder of a doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
The protesting fans were joined by Bagan captain and India international, Subhasish Bose, as the evening wore on. “I’ve come here as a commoner,” he said. “Justice is needed to ensure that this incident is never repeated. The culprits should receive proper punishment. We will continue our protests until justice is served,” said Bose while his wife was seen showing a placard with ‘We want justice. Justice for RG Kar’. Before Bose joined the fans, the spectators were there in their hundreds. It swelled beyond the four-digit mark as the usually warring fans joined hands in rare display of unity.
A small but sizable number gathered outside the Salt Lake Stadium late on Sunday afternoon before exchanging placards, club flags and posters, a day after their Durand Cup match was cancelled, with local police citing the prevailing law and order situation. Supporters of Mohammedan Sporting, another club with a huge following in the city, joined the group.
As the protests spilled onto the busy EM Bypass and blocked traffic, police chased the agitators with canes in hand and detained some of them. Even though the police were somewhat successful in breaking the gathering, fans regrouped in small numbers and continued demanding justice.
All India Football Federation (AIFF) president, Kalyan Chaubey, also reached the site a while later and met the angry fans of the three clubs. “We want justice for the sister who was (allegedly) raped and murdered. Together, we (Mohun Bagan, East Bengal and Mohammedan fans) have assembled here peacefully. Why have so many policemen been deployed here? Why was the match cancelled? Don’t we have the right to demand justice for the victim,” asked Bittu Senapati, a Mohun Bagan supporter.
Police said prohibitory orders under section 163 of the BNSS were imposed in the area from 4 PM till midnight to prevent any disruption of peace. For defying the prohibitory orders, some of those who gathered here were detained, they said. As the police tried to whisk away those detained, the football fans tried to block the way of the vans. “We only have one demand, we want justice for the doctor and her family,” an East Bengal supporter said, holding a festoon that said, ‘Two clubs but one voice, justice for RG Kar.’
Police said there were intelligence inputs that attempts would be made to trigger violence during the match, because of which it was cancelled. “We had specific information that some groups and organisations would attempt to create disturbance in the stadium,” a senior police officer said.
