July 21 martyrs’ families caught between loyalty & uncertainty
Times of India | 21 July 2026
Kolkata: On the eve of July 21, a date etched in Bengal’s political history, the families of those killed in the 1993 police firing find themselves caught between loyalty, uncertainty and fresh political controversy after CM Suvendu Adhikari’s dramatic remarks in the assembly reignited the debate over the three-decade-old tragedy.
Tabling the Justice Susanta Chatterjee Commission report on Monday, Adhikari questioned why Mamata Banerjee, who has long maintained that she was the principal eyewitness to the July 21 firing, was never asked to depose before it.
Adhikari said the state govt was willing to facilitate a fresh FIR if the victims’ families desired one and promised the commission’s recommended Rs 25 lakh compensation from the CM’s relief fund, while claiming that the previous govt had paid only Rs 2 lakh to each of the 13 bereaved families.
The remarks came a day before rival July 21 programmes by Mamata and the Ritabrata Banerjee-led Trinamool faction, prompting the martyrs’ families to reassess their participation while reacting cautiously to the govt’s latest move.
Mahua Roy Palit, daughter of martyr Biswanath Roy, said her family would continue to stand by Mamata despite the latest political developments. “We will first have to read the report before commenting on it. Without seeing what exactly has been said, I don’t want to react,” she said. “But we are going to Didi’s programme. Since 1994, we have attended only her stage. We have never gone anywhere else, and we see no reason to change that now.”
Not every family, however, has made up its mind.
Sanjay Mandal, son of martyr Ratan Mandal, said Adhikari’s statement has left him conflicted. “We watched the CM’s speech in the assembly. If he invites us, I will certainly meet him. More than compensation, we want justice for my father’s death. He is our chief minister too,” Sanjay said.
He added that he would skip Tuesday’s programmes altogether. “My mother is unwell and, after hearing the assembly revelations, I am in two minds.”
In West Midnapore’s Keshpur, Shahjahan, son of martyr Sheikh Abdul Khaleq, said the family had received invitations from both the Mamata camp and the Ritabrata-led faction but had not yet decided where to go. “My mother is ill, the political atmosphere in the village is sensitive, and deciding whether to attend either programme has become very difficult,” he said.
Yet Khaleq’s widow, Kohinura Bibi, left little room for ambiguity. “For us, Trinamool means Mamata Banerjee. I will remain with Didi till my last breath. She never forgot the martyr families and stood by us through every hardship,” she said.
Arpita Das, widow of martyr Ranajit Das, echoed similar sentiment despite receiving invitations from both factions. “I don’t know Ritabrata or his group. Didi gave me a railway job and has stood beside us for years. This competition over martyrs’ families is painful. Every July, the memories return, and my faith in her remains unchanged,” she said.