The Trinamool Congress’s (TMC) Martyrs’ Day stage in front of the Birla Planetarium in Kolkata was allegedly vandalised late Monday night, prompting party leader Mamata Banerjee and senior leaders to camp overnight at the site. The stage was rebuilt by Tuesday morning, with the party saying that the tribute would be held as planned.
The TMC holds a Martyrs’ Day rally in Kolkata every year to commemorate the July 21, 1993 police firing on Congress workers that killed 13 people. This year, three TMC factions are set to hold separate rallies in the city.
On Monday evening, Banerjee visited the venue and alleged that the party was being prevented from holding meetings and processions. She also claimed that people travelling to attend Tuesday’s Kolkata rally were not being provided accommodation. Later that night, the stage was allegedly vandalised, with banners and hoardings strewn on the road and a part of the pandal destroyed. As reports of the vandalism spread, Banerjee and TMC leaders Dola Sen, Derek O’Brien, and others rushed back to the site. Banerjee said the group would remain there through the night to ensure no further disturbance to the Martyrs’ Day tribute ceremony.
“Our supporters are being prevented from coming to the meeting. The police are threatening the families of the martyrs not to come to the meeting. Everything cannot be done by force like this. We are remembering the martyrs. Our stage is being broken. The electricity and microphone lines were disconnected. Posters and banners are being torn. Around 60 BJP-backed goons did all these. It is led by a criminal, who is currently out on bail. There has been a conspiracy since the beginning to sabotage the event with the police on one side and the BJP on the other side,” Banerjee alleged.
Around 1.30 am, in a Facebook Live from the area, Trinamool MP Mahua Moitra said that someone had tried to sabotage the Mamata Banerjee-led faction’s Martyrs’ Day programme. “We will not bow down to this. The stage has been set up again as before. Martyrs’ Day will be observed. Party workers and supporters should join without any worry,” she added.
On Tuesday morning, Banerjee paid tribute to the martyrs in a post on X. “On #ShahidDibas, I pay my heartfelt tributes to the martyrs who tragically lost their lives in 1993. May this day strengthen the resolve of every member of the Maa-Mati-Manush family to uphold democracy, justice, and the rights of the people. Their sacrifice continues to inspire us, and their legacy will forever remain at the heart of our movement,” she said.