Kolkata: Nabanna, the building housing the secretariat of the Government of West Bengal, resembled a veritable fortress on Tuesday as thousands of policemen were deployed in and around it in an attempt to foil a march called by protesting students over the murder and rape of a doctor in RG Kar Hospital in Kolkata on August 9.
The protest march, scheduled to start 2 pm, was called by an apolitical students’ group, West Bengal the Chhatra Samaj, even as the state administration declared it illegal and unlawful as the organisers have not taken police permission for it.
While the security agencies beefed up security, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee reached her office in the secretariat early in the morning, a source said.
A multi-layered security ring was thrown around Nabanna with combat forces, Rapid Action Force (RAF), and riot police, both from Bengal Police and Kolkata Police, putting up barricades on roads leading to the state secretariat and neighbouring areas in Howrah and Kolkata.
The police issued a public advisory to avoid the two main roads leading to the secretariat building and stopped traffic from Monday night.
Traffic on road to Nabanna from Kolkata through Vidyasagar Setu (bridge) was suspended since Monday night. Traffic was stopped from 8 am onwards on the Grand Trunk Road (GTR), causing inconvenience to office goers between Kolkata and Howrah.
Forces, armed with water cannons and teargas shells, were deployed in most parts of Central Kolkata and Chief Minister’s residence as well.
The newly-formed West Bengal Chhatra Samaj has called upon the people to gather at College Street in the city and Satragachi in Howrah at 2 pm and march towards Nabanna to demand justice for the alleged murder and rape of the lady medic at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital and resignation of the Chief Minister.
In the build-up to the march, some protestors could be seen assembling at the starting points holding tricolour in their hands.
The Chhatra Samaj announced that it will be a completely apolitical march and none will be allowed to carry any party flag.
Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari in a post alleged on Tuesday that four student activists, who were seen distributing food to volunteers at Howrah station at midnight, were missing.
“The following student activists who were distributing food to the volunteers, who were arriving at Howrah Station, suddenly went missing after midnight,” Adikari said on his social post X.
“Subhojit Ghosh, Pulokesh Pandit, Goutam Senapati and Pritam Sarkar neither can be traced nor are they answering,” the Nanogram legislator and Bharatiya Janata Party leader alleged.
“We apprehend that they may have been arrested/detained by the police, if something happens to them Mamata Police will be held accountable,” Adhikari said.
On Tuesday, Adhikari also moved the Calcutta High Court with a plea to trace the allegedly missing four student activists.
A report said on Tuesday three BJP leaders from Ghatal in Medinipur were arrested for allegedly posting a video inciting violence during the march.
Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is contemplating to probe into the alleged financial irregularities in the RG Kar hospital, which is being probed by the CBI following the High Court’s direction.
The court ordered the CBI to investigate both the alleged rape and murder of 31-year-old lady medic at her working place on August 9 and the alleged financial irregularities during ousted principal Sandip Ghosh, who is being questioned by the federal agency.
The cease-work resorted to by the junior medics demanding justice of their lady colleague continued on Tuesday, paralysing outdoor patient departments in government hospitals.
