Students' call for 'March to State Secretariat' instils fear in Bengal govt: Suvendu Adhikari

Kolkata, Aug 23 (IANS) The call for 'Nabanna Avijan' (March to West Bengal Secretariat, Nabanna) on August 27 to protest against the R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital rape and murder case has rattled the Mamata Banerjee government, and hence the state administration is adopting ways to stop it, said Leader of Opposition (LoP) Suvendu Adhikari on Friday.

He pointed out that first, the state government through its counsel raised the matter during the hearing on the rape and murder case in the Supreme Court on Thursday and thereafter approached the Calcutta High Court seeking a ban on the said protest march on August 27.

The next step on this count, claimed the LoP was a notification from the state school education department barring students from participating in any programme other than those permitted by the said department.

Substantiating his point in the matter, Adhikari referred to a written instruction given by the office of the District Inspector of Schools, West Midnapore, directing the heads of all state-run schools in the same district on Thursday to “take necessary action in respect of non-involvement of students in any kind of programme except School Education Department outside the school campus,” a copy of which is available with IANS.

“Let me remind the chief minister that it is a free country and such diktats have no impact. Moreover, this is a public movement and you cannot stop people from what they are willing to do out of their free will,” Adhikari said.

He also pointed out that the apex court too has said that the state has no business obstructing peaceful protesters. According to him, the power of the people has rattled the chief minister, and hence, she is afraid that nobody is scared of her anymore.

“Try whatever you can but you won't be able to suppress the clarion call of ‘we want justice’. You have lost the moral authority to occupy the chief minister’s chair and it would be better if you realize the same and resign as soon as possible,” Adhikari said.

The call for march has been given on social media by independent students who have invited all to join but without any political banner. This is similar to the call by women for a midnight march on Independence Day.

The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the West Bengal Police not to disrupt the peaceful protests in the wake of the horrific incident at Kolkata's R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital, where a trainee doctor was raped and murdered earlier this month. "We categorically reaffirm that peaceful protests shall not be disturbed and disrupted. The state shall not take any action against those who are peacefully protesting against the incident at state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital," a bench presided over by CJI D.Y. Chandrachud said.