Bengal: Congress, BJP move HC seeking permission for rally, sit-in demonstration

Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday was moved by the Congress and the BJP, seeking permission to hold protest rallies and sit-in demonstrations in the city.

The mentioning of both the appeals were reportedly made at the Bench of Justice Rajarshi Bharadwaj which allowed them to file petitions. Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury approached the court seeking permission for a rally from College Square to Shyambazar on August 29. He is learnt to have told the media that the rally will be held demanding justice for the rape and murder of the junior doctor at RG Kar Medical College & Hospital. He said that his party would be demanding a proper investigation of the case.

On the other hand, the BJP approached the court seeking permission to hold a sit-in demonstration at Dharmatala from Wednesday. Earlier, the court had permitted the BJP to conduct a five day sit-in demonstration at Shyambazar from Sunday.

Ever since the incident took place on August 9 at the RG Kar Medical College & Hospital, people have hit the street demanding justice, criticizing the state administration for the failure to prevent such a crime within the premises of a government institution. Opposition parties too have been staging protests, training their guns at the state government and the ruling Trinamool Congress. However, most Opposition leaders are of the opinion that they are having to approach the court for permission for rallies since the police are refusing to grant so to them.

On Tuesday, the protestors under the banner ‘Paschim Banga Chhatra Samaj’ clashed with the police during their march to Nabanna in demand of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s resignation. Water canons and tear gas shells were used by police in retaliation to disperse the crowd which apparently resorted to brick batting. The Supreme Court had directed the state not to “unleash its power” on the civil society during peaceful Assembly.