Nabanna Abhijan: A mess of water cannons, tear gas, broken barricades

To no one’s surprise, the ‘peaceful protest’ that was supposed to be the Nabanna Abhijan on Tuesday, 27 August, has ended up a mess of broken barricades, chocolate bombs, stone pelting, lathi charge, tear gas and water cannons that has continued for at least a couple of hours.

Much of the city wore a deserted look this morning, in view of the protest march from College Square organised by the ‘Paschim Banga Chhatra Samaj’ — ostensibly a students’ organisation, though various netizens wondered online at the considerable presence of middle-aged persons amongst them. (While of course students must not be stereotyped by age, it seems a reasonable question where the majority of students are in fact youth and that was what coverage by several media channels and news sites also led us to believe).

Some of the netizens read in it an attempt by the local BJP and RSS wings to try and hijack the people’s movement in support of the R.G. Kar resident who was raped and killed in her workplace on 9 August. The protestors’ objective was to gherao Nabanna, the building housing the state government secretariat in Howrah — and demand the resignation of the chief minister, Mamata Banerjee, for the alleged mishandling of the R.G. Kar case.

The West Bengal Junior Doctors' Front distanced itself from the Nabanna Abhijan ('Expedition Nabanna'), and have called their separate protest on 28 August, Wednesday, the Indian Express reported earlier today.

In preparation for this rally to which they had refused permission, the police had closed off one side of the Hastings thoroughfare, allowing only two-wheelers to ply.

Major roads leading to Nabanna had been barricaded and thousands of police personnel deployed in riot gear and fire engines lined up, with trouble — rather than a ‘peaceful protest’ — clearly anticipated by not just the ruling dispensation but the citizens, many of whom chose to stay in for the day. The atmosphere, as one anonymous citizen said, was more that of a ‘Bharat bandh or Bangla bandh’ than a protest march.

Security had been heightened outside West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee's Kalighat in South Kolkata residence as well.

Small wonder that clashes broke out in Howrah by 2:00 p.m., with water cannons deployed on Howrah Bridge. While the police apparently endured stone pelting, literal brick bats and reportedly ‘chocolate bombs’ (an explosive firecracker) as well, the crowds also attacked and broke down anchored-down barricades, eventually resulting in tear gas being deployed and a lathi charge ensuing.

Curiously, more than protest placards, tricolours were in evidence. Several police personnel are reported injured.

The protestors claim they were ‘peaceful’ and the police action calls for the chief minister’s resignation — in case this wasn’t already a demand. Police have said that lathi-charging and teargassing began only after the police themselves and the barricades were under attack.  

Hastings Road and Mahatma Gandhi Road in central Kolkata saw similar scenes. Red Road, which had been blockaded by large shipping containers, saw the crowds break through and the police push them back with more tear gas, lathi charge and water cannon.

Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari of the BJP ‘warned’ the police and the Trinamool state government: ‘The state police and Calcutta Police have started tremendous atrocities on the protesting students. Protesters have been injured at College Square and Santragachhi. I am warning them. If they do not stop immediately we will bring Bengal to a halt on Wednesday (28 August).’

Sure enough, a Bangla bandh call has followed around 4 p.m., with the violence on the streets barely quelled — again, surprising absolutely no one.

“We are forced to give the call for a general strike as this autocratic regime is turning a deaf ear to the voices of people, the demand for justice for the deceased doctor sister. Instead of justice, Mamata Banerjee’s police are turning on the peace-loving people of the state, who only wanted a safe and secure environment for women,” BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar said.

Meanwhile, Indira Mukherjee, deputy commissioner (DC) of the Central Division, Kolkata Police, in Howrah, said all the attacks on the police and violations of law and order had been noted, and “would be replied to” in due course.

The state police, it should be noted, had denied permission to the Chhatra Samaj and the Joutha Sangram Mancha to hold Tuesday’s protest rally, hence the fortifications and barricades.

The Telegraph quoted one woman protestor who reportedly came in from Nadia on the ‘first train’ at 3:30 a.m., saying the protestors’ ‘only demand’ was the resignation of the chief minister. Naught was mentioned of the demands relating to justice for the doctor who died. 

The CBI took over the investigation of the R.G. Kar case on 13 August, and various irregularities in the handling of the incident by the college authorities had already come to light. The key suspect, one Sandip Roy who was apparently a Kolkata Police civic volunteer, had already been arrested by the police on 10 August, the very next day.  

As for the clashes on the streets today, the Trinamool Congress’ official handle squarely blamed it on the BJP’s machinations, saying 'Make no mistake, this isn't a protest for justice... This is a deliberate plot to incite unrest and destabilise Bengal!'

Notably, governor Ananda Bose — who has been rather a controversial figure in the state — warned the state government in the morning, per the Hindu: “In the context of the peaceful protest announced by the student community of West Bengal and the reported suppression of the protest by certain instructions from the government, I would urge upon the government to remember the strong pronouncement of the Supreme Court of India.”

Well, video evidence certainly goes against the Supreme Court’s description of a ‘peaceful protest’, thus far.