West Bengal BJP Nabanna Rally: HC seeks report; warns cops against illegal detention

Calcutta High Court set aside reappointment of Calcutta University Vice-Chancellor, saying 'West Bengal government has no authority to do so as per provisions of the varsity's Act'. 

BJP's Dilip Ghosh claimed the people of West Bengal are repenting for electing TMC. "The police lathi-charged the protesters even in the police station. The people are watching what is happening. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has lost all confidence as all the corruption is out in the open," he told reporters. 

BJP West Bengal President Sukanta Majumdar reached Police headquarters, claiming that all those detained and arrested during the Nabanna rally were not released.  

After the Nabanna rally went violent, Leader of Opposition and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari said that the party will call a press conference & reveal its next program. 

Calcutta High Court seeks report from West Bengal Home Secretary over today’s BJP Nabanna Abhijan. The HC has directed that the report be submitted on September 19. The HC has further directed the Police to not illegally detain any person and also ensure that there is no damage to public property.

BJP's Rahul Sinha after being released by the police claimed that 'Mamata Banerjee was scared'. "There is no law and order in Bengal. They stopped our protesters," he said. 

'We were illegally detained," said Suvendu Adhikari after walking out of the Police Headquarters. Listing the names of the police officials, he further said, "We have moved the Kolkata High Court. The legal battle will continue." 

Republic reports from outside Kolkata Police headquarters. Leader of Opposition in the Bengal Assembly & BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari can come out any moment. He and many other leaders of the saffron party were detained as they went on with their Nabanna Chalo rally. 

'This is not new," says BJP Shishir Bajoria. Speaking exclusively to Republic, Bajoria said," Today, in fact, we saw another instance where the Leader of Opposition Suvendu  Adhikari was being provoked by a female official on which he said, 'Why are you touching me?'"

NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma in an exclusive conversation calls the action against women by male police officials a 'culture' in West Bengal. She said, "The Commission has taken suo-motu cognizance. We are writing to the DGP of the state, whereafter we will wait for the reply. On the basis of the reply, we will further decide the course of action." 

Police official refutes claims that all the roads are blocked in West Bengal. "Just a road or two, where we had expected the law and order situation to deteriorate, we had blocked the roads. All other roads are open. We have the situation under control."

Trinankur Bhattacharya of the TMC spoke to Republic TV, and said, "We believe in democracy, BJP can do their rally but cannot create a nuisance. Police did what they had to do, as part of their job."

Ex-Deputy Mayor of Kolkata Meena Devi Purohit injured in faceoff amid Nabanna Chalo rally in West Bengal. She was trying to cross the barricades when she was injured. 

Taking to its official Twitter handle, TMC countered BJP's 'peaceful protest' claim with a clip of Republic Bharat in which the protestors can be seen setting ablaze a police van in Howrah.

Sukanta Majumdar spoke to Republic after detention. During the exclusive conversation, the BJP West Bengal President reiterated how it was a 'peaceful protest'. Elaborating on police action, he said, "They started using water canons. The water was being hurled towards electric wires. Some accident could have taken place."

In an exclusive with Republic, BJP's Swapan Das Gupta said, "They first fired water canons, immediately after that they fired tears gas shells, and used batons and lathi-charged. This led to a stampede and everyone was caught in the stampede. I was knocked over, it could be because of a lathi blow or a push. I have minor abrasions." 

BJP West Bengal President Sukanta Majumdar was detained by the police. Earlier, speaking to Republic TV, Majumdar had claimed that there was 'no democracy' existing anymore and had compared the state to North Korea.

Policeman injured in clashes with protesters in Howrah, even as the face-off continues. Tune in here to watch:- 

After West Bengal police's ruthless crackdown on the Bharatiya Janata Party's rally, senior leader Swapan Dasgupta in an exclusive conversation with Republic said, "They pelted stones, baton charged are workers...I was pushed...In this fashion they dealt with a demonstration that was nothing but peaceful."

Here are visuals from Howrah where the faceoff between the West Bengal Police and BJP workers persisted.

Speaking to Republic TV, West Bengal BJP chief Sukanta Majumdar stated that the police is hurling bombs and stones at his party workers. He said, "We are on a sit-in protest. Out stir will continue. The West Bengal Police is (using force) on the direction of Mamata Banerjee. Mamata Banerjee is scared of BJP. Lakhs of people had gathered here. They are entering every station and beating up our workers". 

Chaotic scenes were rife in Howrah as the clashes between the West Bengal police and BJP workers continued despite the huge deployment of forces.

Former nominated MP and BJP's West Bengal election candidate Swapan Dasgupta was injured during the Nabanna march.

Stone-pelting in Howrah as BJP's Nabanna march continues 

Commenting on the Nabanna rally, BJP's IT cell head Amit Malviya said, "This is Bengal rising against Mamata Banerjee and her family’s unbridled loot of the state’s resources. BJP is leading, what has now become a people’s movement to oust Mamata Banerjee and her tinpot dictatorial regime, in Bengal. It will happen sooner than she would have imagined." 

The police used brutal force on protesters in Howrah thereby leaving multiple people injured.

Tear gas, water cannons and lathi charge was used in West Bengal as BJP took out massive protest marches against the Mamata government and TMC. 

Speaking on the reports of detention of BJP workers by Bengal police, the state BJP chief told Republic TV, "Hundreds of BJP leaders and workers are heading towards Kolkata to join BJP’s Nabanna march via trains and are encountering police barricades on the way to railway stations. the workers are arriving in huge numbers and we are ready to start our march with full enthusiasm."

"Police is behaving like we are some kind of terrorists. It is happening for the first time in the country that the police are putting the barricades by digging the roads in order to make them concrete. This is the amount of fear the state government is having in their minds and we are liking it. Actually, we are loving it," Majumdar added while he was at the railway station to welcome the party workers who are arriving to join the mega rally. 

Mega showdown in Kolkata ensued as water cannons were deployed against the BJP protest march to the West Bengal state secretariat Nabanna.

Suvendhu Adhikari has been detained from the Police Training School in Santragachi. Sukanta Majumdar’s rally is going on at the Howrah Maidan. Dilip Ghosh's rally is moving on at College Square. 19 points have been tightly barricaded. A total of 4000 personnel including those from the Kolkata police, the Howrah Police and the district police have been deployed. 

Traffic movement was halted by police on Howrah Bridge in Kolkata, in view of BJP's Nabanna Chalo march.

"CM Mamata Banerjee doesn't have the support of her people and so she is enforcing dictatorship, similar to North Korea in Bengal... Police will have to pay for what is been doing since yesterday, BJP is coming," says LoP Suvendu Adhikari ahead of BJP's Nabanna Chalo march.

BJP took out its 'Nabanna March'-- a rally in protest against the alleged corrupt practices of the Mamata Banerjee-led government in West Bengal today. It was led by its senior leaders including state party president Sukanta Majumdar, Leader of Opposition in WB assembly Suvendu Adhikari, Union Ministers of State Subhas Sarkar and Shantanu Thakur, MP SS Ahluwalia, MLA Agnimitra Paul, Dilip Ghosh and various others.

The saffron party decided to take out 3 major rallies-- from Howrah ground, College Square and Santraganchi under the leadership of Sukanta Majumdar, Dilip Ghosh and Suvendu Adhikari respectively. The saffron party hired 7 trains to bring its party members and supporters from different parts of West Bengal. Adhikari alleged that the police are trying to stop BJP workers from boarding the trains to reach Kolkata for the Nabanna rally. 

The BJP has hired seven trains to bring its party members and supporters from different parts of West Bengal to join 'Nabanna Abhijan' (march to secretariat) on September 13  a rally to be taken out in protest against the alleged corrupt practices of the TMC government. Senior BJP leader and former state president of the party, Rahul Sinha, told PTI on Monday that all trains have either left from or would be leaving for their destinations in a few hours' time. He also claimed that the TMC-run administration was "trying to create hurdles in the way" of supporters willing to come to the city to join the rally.

TMC mouthpiece 'Jago Bangla' has claimed Rs.2.84 crore has been spent in hiring the trains, questioning the source of such funds. Joy Prakash Majumdar, a spokesperson of the ruling party, said, "The BJP has taken crores of rupees from businessmen who escaped the country, and is probably using that money for its programmes. To my knowledge, the BJP spent around Rs 2,000 crore in 2021 assembly polls."

In a statement, the West Bengal Police said that Nabanna is a High-Security Zone where prohibitory order under section 144 CrPC is in force. "You have mentioned that one of the assembly points will be at Howrah Maidan. You must be aware that Bangabasi, Howrah Maidan and GT Road areas are highly congested. A large number of vehicles including vehicles carrying school students pass through this stretch of the GT Road". It said that the other assembly point is Santragachi on Kona Expressway, which is a part of NH 117.

The police also claimed that there was a massive breach of peace resulting in a serious law and order problem during Nabanna Abhiyan organised by Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) on October 8, 2020. "In view of this, any programme styled as "Nabanna Abhiyan" is not allowed. You are therefore directed not to hold the programme," it said.

Police put up heavy barricading at Hastings near the state government's new Secretariat in Kolkata ahead of BJP's Nabanna Chalo march.

A dramatic faceoff between BJP and Kolkata police officials took place in West Bengal as BJP held the Nabanna rally. WB LoP Suvendu Adhikari was blocked near the Secretariat and detained.