The call for August 27 Nabanna Abhiyan — Nabanna is the state secretariat in Howrah – has been given by Paschimbanga Chhatra Samaj. While the outfit claims to be apolitical, BJP leaders have backed the protest.
In a post on its X handle, Kolkata Police wrote: “August 27, Tuesday, is the day when several candidates are scheduled to take the UGC-NET exam from 9.30 am to 12.30 pm and again from 3 pm to 6 pm. An organisation calling itself ‘Paschimbanga Chhatra Samaj’ has called for a ‘Nabanna Abhiyan’ on the same day. We have ensured adequate police presence on the roads so that no UGC-NET candidate has difficulty reaching their examination centres. In case of any emergency, candidates are requested to seek help from the nearest police personnel, contact the nearest police station.”
Students’ outfits affiliated to the Left parties also opposed the rally on August 27 since it would clash with the UGC-NET examination. Sources in the CPI(M) said that the party has informed all its leaders, members, outfits to not take part in the march. “I don’t know who called this rally. But it is now clear that any student outfit can’t call a rally on a day when there is the UGC-NET examination. So, we will not be a part of this rally,” SFI leader Srijan Bhattacharya said.
CPI(M) youth leader Sayan Banerjee said, “Some political parties want to gain from this people’s movement. We can’t allow them to do that.”
Refuting that the BJP is behind the rally, party leader Indranil Khan said, “It is no relation with the ABVP (RSS student’s wing).
Paschimbanga Chhatra Samaj called this rally. Anybody can join this rally. Any student who wants justice… ABVP activists can also join.”
BJP MLA and Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, on Sunday posted on X: “A certain call for Nabanna Abhiyan by apolitical students’ group has instilled so much fear amongst Her Majesty (CM Mamata Banerjee) that firstly she asked her counsel to raise the issue during the hearing at the Hon’ble Supreme Court. Thereafter, her unconscientious administration approached the Hon’ble Calcutta High Court regarding the same.”
“Let me remind the CM that it is a free country and such diktats have no impact. Moreover, this is a public movement. You can’t contain people from what they are willing to do out of their free will. Hon’ble Supreme Court has said that the State has no business obstructing peaceful protesters. We all know that the Power of People has rattled you and you are afraid that nobody is scared of you anymore,” Adhikari wrote.
The ruling TMC hit back at the Opposition, accusing it of “inciting political turmoil”. “Will BJP, RSS led by CPM, DYF, SFI, Congress march towards Nabanna? Cooch Behar, Bantala, Dhantala, Unnao, Hathras, Nirbhaya took place in whose generation. They are inciting political turmoil. Also talking about bullets. The plot of vulture politics. People want justice, not corrupt politics,” TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said.
Rallies and demonstrations were held in different parts of West Bengal on Sunday, protesting the rape and murder of the doctor. In Kolkata, civil society members marched from Ramlila Maidan in Moulali to Metro Channel in Esplanade.
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