In preparation for the ‘Nabanna Abhijan’ announced by Paschimbanga Chhatra Samaj, the region surrounding Nabanna has been reinforced with three layers of security by Kolkata Police and Howrah City Police. Five aluminium barricades have been erected at other significant places, in addition to the 19 established roadblocks.
Following a planned protest march by a student group to Nabanna, the West Bengal administration in Howrah, to demand Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s resignation amid intense protest over the rape-murder of a 31-year-old trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, more than 6,000 Kolkata Police officers were deployed in the city on Tuesday.
Combat forces, Heavy Radio Flying Squads (HRFS), Rapid Action Forces (RAF), Quick Reaction Teams (QRT), and water cannons have been deployed in addition to Kolkata and Howrah City police to handle any potential disorder during the protest. Upholding law and order is the responsibility of an officer with the rank of Additional Commissioner of Police. There will be officers from the Joint CP and DCP ranks in control at Howrah Bridge, Hastings, and Hooghly Bridge, among other places.
Already, additional forces from various districts have been transported to Kolkata. Important locations such as Hastings, Shibpur Road, Howrah Bridge, and Howrah Maidan are under police surveillance. The coordinator of “Nabanna Abhijan,” the Kolkata Police, has written an email requesting information about the number of attendees, the names of the protest leaders, the number of rallies that will take place, and the protest route. But as of yet, the student organisation has not responded to the police.
The West Bengal Police had earlier on Monday said that the protest was “illegal” and that they had not been granted authorisation to march in that direction towards Nabanna. The police used intelligence reports regarding potential chaos, violence, and conspiracies against police officers during the demonstration.
Two massive rallies are scheduled to take place from College Square in Kolkata and Santragachi in Howrah, according per an intelligence report. On Tuesday (today), rallies are anticipated to start at 1 pm. Due to information provided by the police regarding a significant gathering of individuals at College Square, special precautions have been established there.