West Bengal: The 'Nabanna Abhiyan' march has started with protesters assembling at Santragachi in Howrah demanding the resignation of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the arrest of those involved in the alleged rape-murder of a doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
Meanwhile, protestors drag away Police barricades. Police resort to opening lathi charges and lobbing tear gas shells to disperse them.
With at least 25 DCP-ranked officers managing security within Kolkata Police jurisdiction, and four IGs, numerous DIGs, and SP-ranked officers leading security forces in Howrah, the city is preparing for a significant confrontation. The authorities are taking measures to prevent the 'Nabanna Abhijan' rallies from approaching the state secretariat on Tuesday.
Student organization 'Paschim Banga Chhatra Samaj' and the dissident group 'Sangrami Joutha Mancha' are scheduled to hold their 'Nabanna Abhijan' rally on Tuesday afternoon, despite the administration's declaration of the event as “illegal and unauthorized.”
BJP leader Shehzad Poonawalla said that Mamata Banerjee is not Didi but is behaving like Idi Ameen. “Mamata Banerjee's government has protected the rapists, destroyed evidence, and suppressed the voice of truth, for which the Supreme Court and the High Court reprimanded. Now once again when the students, doctors, and common citizens' are taking out Nabanna Chalo Abhiyan' to demand justice for the daughter, Mamata Banerjee's government is blocking the roads,” added Poonawalla.
As reported by PTI, Bengal police have confirmed the preventive arrest of four students on grounds of hatching a "conspiracy of murder and attempted murder".
Police have set up aluminium guard walls reinforced by wooden barricades in at least five locations in Kolkata's approach ways to the Howrah Bridge, including at the foot of the bridge at the Kolkata end to stop the rally from proceeding any further, officials said.
In Howrah, barricades reinforced with iron and steel bolted to the ground have been set up at four places on Kona Expressway and other approach roads to the secretariat, they added.
A massive deployment of armed police, RAF, and special combat forces has been set up on both sides of the Hooghly River to manage potential violence. Security measures include drone surveillance, tear gas shells, and five water cannons.
In an unprecedented move, cargo ship containers and 10-foot-high iron guard walls have been used to block roads, particularly on AJC Bose Road and Vidyasagar Setu approach roads, effectively turning the city and its outskirts into a virtual fortress.
In Howrah, over 2,000 police personnel would be dotting various approach points to Nabanna who would be led by four ADGs, 13 DIGs and 15 SP-ranked officers. Four water cannon trucks have also been deployed.
Traffic movement at both Kolkata and Howrah ends has been severely restricted by the police since this morning.
(This is a breaking news)
