‘Nabanna Abhijan’ march: TMC, Kolkata police call student’s rally illegal

‘Nabanna Abhijan’ protest march: The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Kolkata police on Monday termed the proposed ‘Nabanna Abhijan’ rally on Tuesday, August 27, by a student outfit Chhatra Samaj, demanding the resignation of state Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over the brutal rape and murder of a post-graduate trainee doctor at government-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, as “illegal and an attempt to incite widespread unrest in Kolkata”.
Addressing a press conference in Kolkata, Senior West Bengal Minister and TMC leader Chandrima Bhattacharya along with other party leadersKunal Ghosh and Joyprakash Majumdar, said the ‘Nabanna Abhijan’ rally has been called without police permission. The minister said it was part of a plan by some elements to disrupt peace and stability in the state.
“The call for this rally has been given on social media by Chhatra Samaj, which has not intimated police about their plans. We all want justice for the victim and exemplary punishment for the perpetrators. The case has been handed over to the CBI and the demand for the resignation of the CM is politically motivated,” Bhattacharya said.
Kunal Ghosh questioned the rationale behind the rally’s decision to march to Nabanna, the state secretariat. The TMC warned of potential disruptions, including outsiders being brought in and people possibly disguising themselves in police uniforms to provoke violence and blame the state police.
“What these people – mostly right-wing forces like RSS and ABVP as well as some leftists backed by CPIM – really want is clear from these videos. They want deaths. We have information that people from outside the state are also being brought to foment unrest during the rally. We have also learnt some people in the rally will be wearing police uniforms and fire on people to shift the blame on the police,” PTI quoted the TMC leader as saying.
“BJP, CPM and Congress are all one. BJP is doing Nabanna movement, Congress is supporting it and whatever CPM says, but they are talking about the protest…Ram-Left are all coming together to create anarchy against TMC & West Bengal” he further said.
#WATCH Kolkata: TMC leader Kunal Ghosh says, “BJP, CPM and Congress are all one. BJP is doing Nabanna movement, Congress is supporting it and whatever CPM says, but they are talking about the protest…Ram-Left are all coming together to create anarchy against TMC & West Bengal.” pic.twitter.com/uIFzHrfGHD
Meanwhile, West Bengal ADG Police (Law & Order) Manoj Kumar Verma also called the Nabanna Abhijan Rally illegal and an attempt to incite widespread unrest in Kolkata.

“Nabanna is a restricted area. If any programme is organised here then the organisers should put a request to the police officials and the police will decide after considering the case. So far, no organisation has applied to hold a protest near Nabanna. This is a restricted zone and if anyone needs to organise a protest then they first need to apply for permission from the police…We have very specific inputs that some miscreants might try to create a situation of unrest there (near Nabanna). Tomorrow, an exam is being conducted by NTA, we will ensure that neither aspirants nor the general public are inconvenienced,” West Bengal ADG Police (Law & Order) said.
Additional Deputy General, South Bengal Supratim Sarkar said, “They had announced through social media and the press that they will be undertaking a program called Nabanno Abhiyaan on 27th August, but they did not seek permission, which is a mandatory requirement as far as the High Court directives.” 
Tomorrow there’s a UGC net national level exam. Many candidates from the state will write that exam. Allowing any such congregation will invariably result in traffic disruption which will cause serious inconvenience to the candidates….” Sarkar added.
#WATCH | Howrah: RG Kar Medical College and Hospital rape-murder case | On the Nabanno Abhiyaan, called by the ‘Paschimbanga Chhatro Samaj’, on 27th August, Additional Commissioner of Police Kolkata, Supratim Sarkar says “They had announced through social media and the press that… pic.twitter.com/KTCZ6VRi8I
“Here Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (formerly Section 144 of the CrPC) is in place. But no information has been given. This is illegal,” he further added.
Reacting to the development, Union Minister and West Bengal BJP president Sukanta Majumdar said”…Tomorrow West Bengal students are going to protest in a peaceful democratic way, what is the point of obstructing that? Students have announced it through a press conference, which means you (police) know about it… BJP’s stand is clear, this is not BJP’s movement but we support it…This is a students’ movement, it is a non-political movement, we are with the students.”
#WATCH | Union Minister and West Bengal BJP president Sukanta Majumdar says “…Tomorrow West Bengal students are going to protest in a peaceful democratic way, what is the point of obstructing that? Students have announced it through a press conference, which means you (police)… pic.twitter.com/3YlYoOjdXg
It is important to note that earlier on Friday, the Calcutta High Court refused to prohibit the march to the West Bengal state secretariat ‘Nabanna’ on August 27 to protest the rape and murder of a woman doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, holding that the fundamental right to hold peaceful protest cannot be curbed.