BALURGHAT: As West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday presented the SIR case at the Supreme Court representing the grievances of the common people of Bengal, senior
lawyers in Balurghat lawyers reminisced of a similar moment from over three decades ago—when Banerjee herself donned a lawyer’s gown and pleaded a case at the Balurghat District Court.
The recollection dates back to February 10, 1994, when Mamata Banerjee appeared before the Balurghat District Court in connection with the Kumarganj student movement. At that time, the district had witnessed violent unrest following allegations that police had resorted to indiscriminate firing during protests under the then Left Front government. One student, Partha Singha Roy, was killed in the firing, while three others sustained injuries. Banerjee was a popular youth leader with the Congress then.
After learning of the incident, Banerjee visited Partha Singha Roy’s residence in Kumarganj on February 5, 1994, accompanied by district-level Congress party leaders, to stand by the bereaved family. She later visited Hili on February 9, where she enquired whether those arrested in connection with the agitation had been granted bail. On being informed that bail had been denied, Banerjee decided to personally intervene and appeared at the Balurghat District Court the very next day.
She was accompanied by several senior legal figures of the time, including former state PWD minister Shankar Chakraborty, former government pleader of the Balurghat District Court Subhas Chaki and veteran advocate Manmatha Ghosh.
Recalling the moment, senior lawyer and Trinamool Congress leader Subhas Chaki said: “It is a matter of immense pride for us that in 1994, Mamata Banerjee had donned a black gown at the Balurghat District Court to fight for the common people. Even today, as she stood before the country’s highest court, she continued that same battle.”
Veteran advocate Manmatha Ghosh recalled that 32 years ago Mamata Banerjee joined their legal fight for Kumarganj activists, finalising strategy at the Balurghat Bar library before jointly arguing the case in court.