The Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress and the rebel faction headed by Ritabrata Banerjee will hold separate programmes in Kolkata on Tuesday to mark the July 21 Martyrs' Day anniversary, with extensive security arrangements in place.
The Congress will also organise a separate event at Shahid Minar, the nearly 200-year-old, 157-foot-tall monument located about a kilometre from the Mahatma Gandhi statue in central Kolkata.
With the three programmes to be held within a short distance of one another, the police have tightened security across the central business district to prevent any untoward incident.
The Mamata Banerjee-aligned TMC faction will hold its programme near Birla Planetarium, while the rebel group, which claims to be the "real Trinamool Congress", will organise a parallel event near the Mahatma Gandhi statue at Mayo Road, nearly two km away.
For the first time since the political change in West Bengal, three platforms will commemorate the day, reflecting the contest over the legacy of the 1993 police firing in which 13 Youth Congress workers were killed.
The July 21 anniversary has traditionally been observed by the TMC beside Victoria House, an office building near Esplanade in the heart of the city.
This year, the emergence of rival claimants to the Trinamool legacy and a separate Congress programme has turned the annual commemoration into a three-cornered political event, posing an added challenge for the police.
The police have put in place elaborate security arrangements, including drone surveillance and deployment of around 1,000 personnel, across three venues in central Kolkata.
According to the Kolkata Police headquarters, Lalbazar, around 1,000 police personnel will be deployed across the three venues.
Drone surveillance will be carried out over all the event sites, while at least five deputy commissioners, including officers from the central and south divisions, will supervise security arrangements.
Personnel from the Rapid Action Force (RAF), the High Radio Flying Squad (HRFS) and central forces will also be deployed to maintain law and order.
Despite the large gatherings expected, the police said no roads would be completely closed because of the programmes. However, commuters have been advised to expect traffic congestion in and around the city centre.
Heavy crowds are expected near Shahid Minar, Mayo Road and Red Road, likely slowing vehicular movement. Traffic is also expected to move slowly along Dufferin Road and at the Cathedral Road crossing near the Victoria Memorial in central Kolkata.
Traffic movement on Cathedral Road will be regulated with one-way arrangements. Till 1 pm, vehicles will be allowed towards Park Street via Harish Mukherjee Road, while after 1 pm the direction will be reversed, allowing movement from the Park Street side towards Harish Mukherjee Road, the police said.
(With inputs from PTI)
