TMC, BJP workers clash during Baruipur rape-murder protest rally in Kolkata

Kolkata: Workers of the BJP and the TMC youth wing clashed here on Wednesday during a protest march by the Mamata Banerjee-led party over the rape and murder of an 11-year-old girl in Baruipur, prompting police personnel to baton charge to control the situation.

The rally, which was organised by youth workers of the Mamata Banerjee-aligned TMC after securing a green signal from the Calcutta High Court and originated from Ballygunge Phari in southern Kolkata, was repeatedly obstructed by BJP workers who raised "thief" slogans and even tried to set up human barricades along the protest march route along the Hazra Road.

During the course of the rally, agitated workers from both sides were seen getting engaged in fist fights, with security forces intervening with a mild baton charge to gain control over the situation.


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The agitating BJP workers maintained that the TMC had "no right" to organise a protest rally on the Baruipur incident, alleging that the erstwhile Mamata Banerjee government "shielded criminals perpetrating crimes against women" and often trivialised them as "minor incidents", a charge that was refuted by the protesters.

The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday, while setting aside the Kolkata Police communication denying permission to hold the protest rally, granted permission to the TMC to organise the event, albeit under strict conditions.

The court tweaked the proposed route of the rally by changing its termination point to Hazra Crossing instead of the originally scheduled Landsdown Market on Sarat Bose Road to "minimise inconvenience of the people at large".

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The court also altered the rally timing from 2.30 pm to 4.30 pm instead of the proposed 3 pm to 6 pm slot, forbade the use of loudspeakers and directed the use of handheld microphones instead.

It also instructed keeping one flank of the rally route open to allow vehicular traffic movement and mandated dispersal of the crowd, which shouldn't exceed 1,000 participants, once the rally reached its destination.

TMC leaders accompanying the rally appealed to the party supporters to maintain peace and discipline, accusing the BJP of attempting to disrupt the programme.

Meanwhile, BJP leaders alleged that their supporters were provoked by TMC youth wing workers.

Vehicular movement in several parts of south Kolkata was affected due to the rally. The authorities had issued advisories in advance, urging people to avoid the affected routes.

The situation remained tense but under control as the rally progressed towards Hazra under tight security, a police officer said.

Prabhas Mondal, one of the prime accused in the rape and murder of the Baruipur minor, was killed in an alleged encounter early on Wednesday after he "snatched a firearm from a policeman and tried to escape from custody" during a crime scene reconstruction exercise, police said.

Another absconding accused, Kabir Molla, was arrested on Wednesday, taking the total number of arrests in the rape-murder case to four. Besides Mondal, Anand Sardar and Dibakar Sardar had earlier been booked.