Kolkata: Police lob tear gas, lathicharge protestors as ‘Nabanna Abhijan’ rally turns violent

Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], August 27 (ANI): Security personnel on Tuesday lobbed tear gas shells, used water cannons and resorted to lathicharge to disperse protestors on the Howrah Bridge marching towards the West Bengal State Secretariat Nabanna, amidst the row over the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital rape-murder case.

Protestors gathered at the Howrah Bridge, climbing atop police barricades and clashed with police personnel during during the ‘Nabanna Abhijan’ protest march.

They were seen breaking and dragging away the barricades that were erected at the Santragachi area enorute to the Secretariat.

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.

Early this monring protestors began gathering at the Santragachi area and started marching from the College Square towards the State Secretariat in Kolkata.

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 had deployed heavy forces aiming to keep in check the protestors.

Ahead of the protest check gates, civic wokers were seen greasing the rear gates of Fort William at Hastings in Kolkata in an attempt to thwart protestors from scaling the barricades.

The police also deployed vajra vehicles, water cannons, and riot control forces in the area while containers were placed to block the roads.

West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose earlier 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.