Tensions flared in Kolkata’s Salt Lake area as around 50 BJP activists staged a sudden sit-in at the Wipro office-Biswabangla Sarani crossing on Sunday, blocking roads to protest alleged police excesses during the 'Nabanna Chalo Abhiyan' march on August 9, 2025. The demonstration, which demanded justice for a postgraduate trainee doctor raped and murdered at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9, 2024, also called for the resignation of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
The protesters, wielding placards with “chi chi” (Shame Shame) slogans, accused the state government of shielding those involved in a larger conspiracy behind the crime. The sit-in, which began around 2 p.m., disrupted traffic briefly before police from the Bidhannagar Commissionerate cleared the blockade and removed the demonstrators in prison vans. No untoward incidents were reported during the dispersal, according to a police official.
Saturday’s 'Nabanna Chalo Abhiyan' marked the first anniversary of the doctor’s brutal rape and murder, sparking widespread unrest in Kolkata and Howrah. The march, supported by the victim’s parents and BJP leaders like Suvendu Adhikari, saw violent clashes at multiple points, including Park Street and Vidyasagar Setu, as protesters attempted to breach 10-foot iron barricades to reach the state secretariat, Nabanna. Police deployed lathi-charges, water cannons, and tear gas, injuring over 37 officers and numerous protesters, including the victim’s mother, who was hospitalized with a head injury and a broken traditional bangle. She alleged police manhandling, stating, “All we want is to reach Nabanna and seek justice for my daughter.”
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A BJP youth morcha spokesperson condemned the police response, saying, “The Mamata Banerjee government failed to provide security to our sisters and is now baton-charging peaceful protesters demanding justice.” The victim’s father claimed police obstructed their court-approved peaceful rally, forcing them to evade multiple checkpoints.
The case, now under CBI investigation, has seen Sanjay Roy, a civic volunteer, convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in January 2025. However, controversy persists over the bail granted to former RG Kar principal Sandip Ghosh and Tala police officer Abhijit Mondal on December 13, 2024, due to the CBI’s failure to file a chargesheet within 90 days. Protests by junior doctors, Left parties, and Congress have since intensified, with accusations of a “tacit understanding” between the ruling TMC and BJP-led Centre.
The ongoing unrest, including a BJP-called 12-hour Bengal bandh on August 28, 2024, reflects deep public anger and distrust in the handling of the case, with demonstrators vowing to continue until justice is fully served.
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