Nabanna Abhijan protests turn violent: What is ‘Chhatra Samaj’, the new student outfit behind the stir in Kolkata?

A large crowd gathered around College Square in West Bengal’s Kolkata as the ‘Nabanna Abhijan’ protest march began on Tuesday.

Amid the ongoing row over the brutal rape and murder of a trainee doctor at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital that shook the nation earlier this month, a new student outfit, Paschimbanga Chhatra Samaj, called for a ‘March to Secretariat’, demanding Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s resignation.

Here’s all we know about the group.

What is Paschimbanga Chhatra Samaj?

Paschimbanga Chhatra Samaj, which means Society of Students in West Bengal, is an unregistered student group.

The students have claimed their outfit was apolitical.

The outfit called for the march to the West Bengal secretariat “Nabanna," a high-security zone housing the offices of the Chief Minister and other top ministers and officials, to press its demand.

It is being led by Prabir Das, a Master’s student at Rabindra Bharati University, Subhankar Halder of Kalyani University and Sayan Lahiri of Rabindra Mukta University.

Several students and citizens joined the march, displaying the tricolour in their hands and raising slogans as they moved towards the secretariat.

Lahiri said the government’s handling of the rape-murder case has proved the CM was “incompetent,” according to India Today.

He told the media that the outfit has three demands: justice for Abhaya, capital punishment for the culprit, and Mamata Banerjee’s resignation.

The West Bengal Police has called the march “illegal” and said it has taken necessary precautionary measures due to concerns about potential law-and-order issues during the march.

Notably, protesting junior doctors, who are also leading the movement seeking justice for the 31-year-old trainee doctor, have distanced themselves from today’s rally. Instead, they have called for a separate one tomorrow in central Kolkata.

The Left student bodies, SFI and DYFI, have also decided to stay away from the rally. CPI (M) youth leader Minakshi Mukherjee said that the Left student bodies would not participate as it was being organised by an RSS-backed body.

Speaking to reporters, West Bengal Additional Director General (ADG) (law and order) Manoj Verma said no individual or organisation has sought permission to hold such a rally to the state secretariat, ‘Nabanna,’ which is a restricted area.

According to the Indian Express, ADG (South Bengal) Supratim Sarkar also claimed that a student leader involved in organising the march met a “prominent political figure” at a five-star hotel in Kolkata on Sunday but did not identify either. However, one of the Chhatra Samaj leaders, Lahiri, denied any such meeting.

Is the BJP backing the outfit?

On the eve of the rally, the ruling Trinamool Congress aired videos alleging a “conspiracy” and suspected BJP leaders from Ghatal in Paschim Medinipur district allegedly planning to incite violence at the march.

Firstpost has not independently verified the authenticity of the videos.

At a press conference, TMC leaders Kunal Ghosh and Chandrima Bhattacharya showed videos claiming that BJP leaders were planning to incite the police personnel to open fire on the protesters.

Senior Minister Bhattacharya said that the student outfit did not take any police permission for the march to the West Bengal state secretariat.

“Police permission is required for any kind of rally or dharna, but no one has approached the police so far. It is clear who is behind it. They are taking the name of a student forum. Section 163 of the BNSS is always imposed in and around Nabanna. The Leader of the Opposition, Suvendu Adhikari, has already said that bullets will be fired on August 27,” she said.

However, the saffron party has denied the allegations. They say that they were not associated with the rally but would support the movement.

Senior BJP leader Rahul Sinha said, as per India Today, “It is not called by the BJP. We support anyone who is speaking up against the atrocities and this case. We know that Mamata Banerjee wants to politicise this issue. It is a mass issue. She doesn’t want this rally to happen, but why did she do the rally in 1993 that led to so many deaths?”

Sinha was referring to then-Congress member Banerjee’s march to the then-Bengal secretariat, Writers’ Building, in July 1993, to demand mandatory photo voter ID to conduct fair elections. About 13 Congress workers were killed in police firing that day, which today is commemorated as Martyr’s Day in the state.

What are Chhatra Samaj leaders saying?

At a press conference at the Kolkata Press Club, Sayan Lahiri said, “This is an absolutely apolitical protest march by the students of West Bengal. Do not try to find any political affiliation for us, it is a pure social movement and we are requesting all political parties’ top leaders to stay away from the march. We do not want any political party to gain from this march.”

School teacher Shubhankar Halder, who is also leading the march, said the newly-formed outfit doesn’t have any political affiliation, though he was an “RSS member and proud of that.”

Lahiri, too, revealed being part of the BJP and TMC in the past.

Rabindra Bharati University student Prabir Das said not everyone in Chhatra Samaj had a political affiliation.

“We are students fighting for justice for our sister,” he said.

What’s the situation in Bengal now?

As per News18, Kolkata Police has deployed over 6,000 personnel on the city streets since morning, and set up at least 19 barricade points. The state has put 26 district collectors in charge to monitor the situation.

They have also deployed Vajra vehicles, water cannons, and the Riot Control Force in the area while containers were placed to block the roads, according to ANI.

Protesters eventually breached barricades and hurled stones, triggering a face-off with police officials, who used tear gas shells and water cannons to disperse the crowd.

The police have resorted to lathi charging and lobbying tear gas shells to disperse them.

The development comes despite Governor CV Ananda Bose urging the state government not to use power to stop the “peaceful protesting students.”

Ahead of the protests, the West Bengal police arrested four student activists, saying that they were trying to “orchestrate large-scale violence,” according to The Indian Express.

With inputs from agencies