Nearly 70,000 people attended yesterday’s rally, Nabanna Abhijan. This was initiated by the Paschimbanga Chhatra Samaj. Despite the fact that students, doctors, teachers, and members of the general public all participated. Despite being followers of different political parties, numerous people gathered today to demand the resignation of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
Police in Kolkata, used tear gas, water cannons and batons to disperse protests against the rape and murder of a trainee doctor. Protesting university students led the crowds in breaking past police forces’ barricades to demand the resignation of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the state’s highest elected official, over her handling of the matter.
The August 9 rape and murder of a 31-year-old trainee medic on duty at Kolkata’s state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital sparked outrage and protests in India, highlighting the prevalence of sexual violence. Protesters seeking Banerjee’s resignation included members of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the primary opposition party to the chief minister’s Trinamool Congress party in the state.
In Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal, the police had declared the BJP’s protest to be illegal and had blocked highways in its wake. According to local media, some businesses and schools granted employees the day off in preparation for the protests obstructing traffic. According to police, four student activists were detained prior to the demonstration on charges of attempting to plan widespread violence.