Schism in martyrs’ families reflects schism with TMC
Times of India | 22 July 2026
Kolkata: The political schism within the Trinamool Congress spilled into the families of the July 21, 1993, firing victims on Tuesday, with the son of one of the martyrs announcing plans to file an FIR against former chief minister Mamata Banerjee, even as his sister shared the stage with her at the party’s annual Martyrs’ Day rally.
Rajib Roy, son of July 21 martyr Biswanath Roy, said he would lodge an FIR against Mamata Banerjee, Abhishek Banerjee and former state home secretary Manish Gupta, accusing them of suppressing the Justice Susanta Chatterjee Commission report that probed the 1993 police firing in which 13 Youth Congress workers were killed.
The development came a day after chief minister Suvendu Adhikari tabled the commission’s report in the assembly and announced that the state govt would facilitate fresh FIRs if the victims’ families wished to pursue legal action. Adhikari also said the govt would implement the panel’s recommendation of paying Rs 25 lakh as compensation from the chief minister’s relief fund, alleging that the previous govt paid only Rs 2 lakh.
“We wholeheartedly welcome and appreciate chief minister Suvendu Adhikari’s initiative. On behalf of my family, we will definitely lodge an FIR against Mamata Banerjee, Abhishek and Manish Gupta. We want the accused to face trial,” Rajib Roy said.
Even as Rajib prepared for legal action, his sister Mahua Roy Palit stood beside Mamata Banerjee on the dais at the Trinamool rally near Birla Planetarium, publicly distancing herself from her brother’s stand and accusing him of betraying both their father’s legacy and the party.
“For me, Mamata Banerjee is not the traitor; my brother is. How could he switch allegiance from the woman for whom my father gave up his life? I will never leave Mamata Banerjee’s side. He has taken the bait offered by Suvendu Adhikari and is switching camps,” Palit told TOI.
The family’s public divide mirrored the fragmentation in the political landscape, with three separate July 21 programmes being held across Kolkata for the first time.
The Mamata Banerjee-led rally drew the largest representation from the martyrs’ families, with 13 relatives of six victims attending it. The rival programme organised by the Ritabrata Banerjee camp saw six family members representing four martyrs, while the Congress rally at Shahid Minar was attended by one member from martyr Kalyan Banerjee’s family.
Until 2024, Rajib Roy was a regular at the unified Trinamool’s annual July 21 rally. This year, however, he stayed away from all three events, saying he did not wish to become part of what he described as “dirty politics”. Earlier in the day, he also prevented local Trinamool leaders from garlanding a statue of his father outside their Baranagar home.
Besides Mahua Roy Palit, family members of martyrs Srikanta Sharma, Asim Das, Keshab Bairagi, Pradip Roy and Murari Chakraborty attended Mamata Banerjee’s programme.
The Ritabrata Banerjee camp was joined by relatives of martyrs Dilip Das, Ratan Mondal, Ranajit Das and Sheikh Abdul Khalek.
“The govt has changed. West Bengal is changing and so I have also changed camps. No one forced me to come here. I came on my own and I acknowledge the respect they have shown me,” said Tapasi Talukdar, daughter of martyr Dilip Das.
Ratan Mondal’s wife Suchitra Mondal and mother Maharani Mondal, who attended the rival programme after being brought in the official vehicle of Patharpratima MLA Samir Kumar Jana, said they did not want to be drawn into politics.
“We have been coming to Kolkata for this programme every year. This year was no different,” Maharani Mondal said.