1234 Kolkata: Along with the defiance of the Calcutta High Court's no-public-display-of-arms order, there was also compliance with plastic maces — and in two cases, toy guns, debuting in Ram Navami rallies in Bengal on Sunday.
The toy gun display, the first of its kind, took place in a rally in Suri. Ram Navami rallyists there were seen moving around with toy guns along with swords. Police seized both. An official of the club that organised the procession said, "Those are used by kids as toys. But as those looked very similar to guns, the police seized them from us." Birbhum SP Amandeep said, "Our officers seized those along with some prohibited sharp weapons. Later, those were found to be toy guns."
The use of plastic maces and PVC-made weapons came up during an HC hearing on Friday. While putting restrictions on Anjani Putra Sena, a Howrah-based trust whose Ram Navami rallies led to violence in 2023, the Calcutta High Court on Friday stipulated that no rallyist should "carry or brandish any arms or weapons". It also made it clear that the rallyists "would be allowed to carry flags and/or any other symbolic weapons which should only be made of PVC. In case any weapon made of metal is found, police would be at liberty to seize the same".
This Howrah rally saw no public display of weapons. Only a person dressed as Lord Hanuman, who was part of the rally, used a plastic mace.
In other Howrah rallies, however, swords were used. In the VHP rally, there were allegations that two persons brandished arms. Police said they needed to check CCTV footage to confirm it. Ram Navami celebrations at Pilkhana saw swords being carried by some in the rally.
Organisers at Howrah Khatik Samaj said carrying swords has been a tradition and they had permission from the police. Before the procession started, the organisers registered the arms (swords) that would be displayed in the procession along with the carriers, adding that they would not be responsible for any person carrying swords without registration. During the procession, police seized a sword. At least 10 persons carried swords along the rally route.
In an MG Road rally, TOI came across a rallyist using a large toy gun, which was being burst sporadically to create a shower-like effect. BJP neta and HC lawyer Priyanka Tibrewal was also seen walking in a rally with a huge plastic mace.
While Kolkata rallies did not see public defiance of high court orders, swords and other traditional weapons were brandished during a massive Ram Navami rally held in Barasat on Sunday afternoon. Thousands of people took part in the rally, which began at Moina near the Barasat SP office around 4.30 pm and culminated at Kachhari Maidan. The rally drew further attention with the participation of BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar and actor Mithun Chakraborty, whose presence significantly boosted the crowd turnout.
A large contingent of police, including the RAF and Combat Force led by the senior officers of Barasat district police, was deployed to conduct strict surveillance over the rally.