Kolkata: People break, drag away police barricades during protest rally

Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], August 27 (ANI): Police on Tuesday hosed protestors with water cannons as they climbed atop police barricades, clashed with police personnel and broke the barricades at Santragachi in Howrah during the ‘Nabanna Abhijan’ protest march.

Protestors also dragged away police barricades and police resorted to opening lathicharge and lobbying tear gas shells to disperse them.

Ahead of the protest, called amid the ongoing row over the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, police had thrown a ring of security around the West Bengal state secretariat.

Portestors called for a ‘Nabanna Abhijan’ rally, that began with people first gathering at the Santragachi area in Howrah. The rally began from the College Square in the capital of West Bengal.

Several students and citizens joined the march displaying the tricolour in their hands and raising slogans as they moved towards the secretariat.The West Bengal Police deployed heavy forces to control the protests.

The check gates at the rear of Fort William at Hastings in Kolkata were greased by civic workers in an attempt to thwart protestors from scaling the barricades.

The police have also deployed vajra vehicles, water cannons, and Riot Control Force in the area while containers were placed to block the roads.

West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose today urged the state government not to use power to stop the “peaceful protesting students.”

He further reminded the state government of the verdict of the Supreme Court and said that democracy cannot silence the majority.

In a video message, Governor Bose said, “In the context of the peaceful protest, announced by the student community of West Bengal and the reported suppressions of the protest by certain instructions of the government, I would urge upon the government to remember the strong pronouncement of the Supreme Court of India, let not the power of the state of West Bengal be unleashed on the peaceful protestors. Democracy cannot silence the majority, cannot silence the majority, cannot silence the majority! Remember that.”

Yesterday, Additional Commissioner of Police Kolkata, Supratim Sarkar said that they have rejected an application by ‘Paschimbanga Chhatro Samaj’ to hold a rally called ‘Nabanna Abhijan’ on August 27. He added that the police rejected their application because the group did not seek formal permission and provided insufficient details.

The brutal rape and murder of a woman trainee doctor on the R G Kar Medical College and Hospital premises sparked outrage all over the country. The incident shook the entire nation, and since then several protests have been staged demanding justice for the victim.

The trainee doctor was found dead in the seminar hall of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on August 9.