Just hours ahead of the 'Nabanna Abhijan' march today which will be demanding West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's resignation over the R G Kar doctor's rape and murder, four student activists have allegedly gone missing.
Claimed by Suvendu Adhikari, the Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly, the students are identified as Subhojit Ghosh, Pulokesh Pandit, Goutam Senapati, and Pritam Sarkar, were distributing food items to volunteers at Howrah station before disappearing after midnight.
"Neither they can be traced nor are they answering their phones. We apprehend that they may have been arrested or detained by the state police," Adhikari tweeted on X.
However, the state police denied the claim, stating on their X handle, "A certain political leader has been trying to create a false narrative about four students who have apparently been missing since last night. The truth is, nobody is missing."
The police added, "The four were planning to orchestrate large-scale violence during the Nabanna Abhijan today, and were involved in a conspiracy of murder and attempted murder. They have been arrested in the interest of public safety and security, and their families have been informed."
What is Nabanna Abhijan?
The 'Nabanna Abhijan Rally' is called by Paschim Banga Chhatra Samaj (Society of Students in West Bengal) which is a student organisation that cropped up in the past few days demanding West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s resignation over the rape-murder case at Kolkata’s R G Kar Hospital.
It is set to lead a march to West Bengal state secretariat “Nabanna” on Tuesday to press its demand. The CPI(M) and Congress have refused to join the protest, citing the “RSS connections” of some of the organisers.
What time is the protest?
The ‘March to Nabanna’ is expected to begin around 1 pm this afternoon. Meanwhile, the Kolkata police has called the march “illegal” and banned gatherings of more than five people around the area.
Tight security measures in place for 'Nabanna Abhijan' protest
Nabanna, the West Bengal secretariat in Howrah, has been fortified with a three-layered security arrangement ahead of the planned protest by Paschimbanga Chhatra Samaj.
Over 6,000 personnel from Kolkata Police and Howrah City Police, along with combat forces, RAF, HRFS, and QRT, have been deployed in the area. Water cannons are also in place to tackle any potential chaos.
Barricades have been set up at 19 points, with five aluminium barricades installed at key points. Additional forces from different districts have been brought to Kolkata, focusing on key areas like Hastings Street, Shibpur Road, Howrah Bridge, and Howrah maidan.
Organisers and Demands
The rally is being organised by Prabir Das, Subhankar Halder, and Sayan Lahiri, students from various universities. They demand:
1. Justice for the doctor who was raped and murdered
2. Capital punishment for the culprit
3. Resignation of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who is also the state's health minister and in charge of the police
Police Preparations
The state police have termed the rally as "illegal" and "unauthorised" and claim to have taken necessary precautions to prevent potential law and order situations. ADG (Law and Order) Manoj Verma stated that credible intelligence suggests attempts will be made to incite large-scale violence and chaos during the rally.
The march is being conducted in protest against the rape and murder of a junior doctor at Kolkata's R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital earlier this month.
(With agencies inputs)
