Kolkata: In a double whammy for the Mamata Banerjee-led government on Tuesday, the Supreme Court raised serious questions on the selection criteria and appointment process of the Civic Volunteers in the state police apparatus while a showdown of the agitating junior doctors, civil society members, senior physicians and the people on the streets of Kolkata took the sheen off the Durga Puja carnival slated for the day.
Apart from the Civic Volunteers's recruitment issue, an initiative by the Trinamool Congress government after it came to power in 2011, the Kolkata Police drew flak from the Calcutta High Court after it set aside all prohibitory orders clamped on the roads leading to the Durga Puja immersion carnival organized by the state government.
Initially, the Kolkata Police had imposed prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) banning the assembly of more than five persons adjacent to the Red Road, the designated spot for the carnival. The police, in their order, had widened the prohibitory orders in all adjacent roads to the Red Road. The order had cited that in apprehension of breach of law and order as well as in anticipation of disrupting the carnival. The restriction was imposed on Mayo Road, the stretch from Dorina Crossing to Press Club, the Academy of Fine Arts area, Rani Rashmoni Avenue, Metro Y channel and Outram Road.
The move was in direct conflict with the calls for a ‘Droha (protest) Carnival' called by the protesting junior doctors and other doctors’ organisations who had been agitating over the R G Kar rape and murder incident and alleged rampant malpractices in the state’s health department.
The junior doctors had moved the Calcutta High Court challenging the imposition of the prohibitory orders and a little after 3 pm, Justice Ravi Kishan Kapur set aside the restrictions. The court also ordered the removal of barricades along all roads leading to the Red Road. Earlier, the High Court had cleared the decks for another protest rally by citizens from College Square to Raja Subodh Mullick Square in Central Kolkata, backed by the opposition BJP.
As the news from the High Court reached Dorina Crossing and the makeshift dias of protesting junior doctors on a relay hunger strike since October 5 at Esplanade, jubilation broke out among thousands of protesters who had gathered to participate in the protest carnival. The numbers at the protest site bet hands down the tepid response that the immersion carnival drew, which was attended by Trinamool supremo and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and a few Tollywood artists, some of whom are also MLAs and MPs of the ruling party.
Protesters danced to rhythmic beats of traditional drums or dhaks, blew conch shells and raised slogans while proceeding towards Rani Rashmoni Avenue after the police pulled down the iron barricades put up on the roads. People from all walks of life took to the streets and joined the agitating doctors in demand of justice for the slain trainee medic of R G Kar Medical College and Hospital and transparency in the health sector.
“It is not that the Chief Minister is not aware of what is happening in the health sector, the protests and the hunger strike. What is disturbing is her unfazed attitude towards the whole issue. She seems to be completely oblivious to the young doctors on a fast-unto-death,” said Dr Debhashis Halder, one of the protesting doctors.
Several other junior doctors and senior physicians taking part in the protest carnival with placards and banners demanding justice for the R G Kar medic censured the state government, particularly Mamata Banerjee, for her “insensitive” attitude.
Thousands, including members of the Joint Platform of Doctors, formed a human chain at the Esplanade area as protests continued till the evening. Traffic in Central Kolkata was completely thrown out of gear, as most roads leading to the central business district were choked with protesters. Noted linguist Pabitra Sarkar, actors and directors Aparna Sen, Chaiti Ghoshal, Debolina Dutta, Usashi Chakraborty and several others joined the protests at the podium of the junior doctors on fast.
Two other Droha (protest) marches by doctors and common people were taken out in Siliguri and Bardhaman on the same cause.
Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Suvendu Adhikari also led a torch-light protest march at College Street, attended by hundreds.
“Our protest is against growing incidents of atrocities against women in West Bengal in the Trinamool Congress regime. Women are no longer safe here. The government under Mamata Banerjee is more interested in holding the Durga Puja carnival than ensuring the safety and security of women. Our march today does not have any party flags. It is a protest by the people and it is their anger against this government which is pouring out,” said Adhikari.
BJP MLA Agnimitra Paul, former party MP Arjun Singh and several others joined the march.
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