BJP Calls 12-Hour ‘Bangla Bandh’ in West Bengal to Protest Police Actions During ‘Nabanna Abhijan’ Rally

The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will hold a 12-hour “Bangla Bandh” in West Bengal on Wednesday, August 28, in protest against police actions taken against participants of the ‘Nabanna Abhijan’ rally on Tuesday. Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari warned that the party would “stall” West Bengal if the police “repression” does not stop immediately.

Alapan Bandopadhyay, the chief advisor to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, stated, “The government will not allow any bandh on Wednesday. We urge people not to participate in it. All necessary steps will be taken to ensure that normal life remains unaffected.”

Over 200 people were arrested, and several were injured in various parts of Kolkata after police cracked down on protesters who were attempting to march toward the state secretariat, demanding Mamata Banerjee’s resignation. The rally was organized by the ‘Paschimbanga Chhatra Samaj,’ a new student group, to protest the alleged rape and murder of a woman trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on August 9.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) will consult medical experts from AIIMS Delhi to determine if Sanjay Roy, the main accused currently under judicial custody, was the sole perpetrator of the crime. The CBI is investigating both the rape and murder case and financial irregularities involving the former principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, Sandip Ghosh.

Additionally, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has taken note of the CBI’s first information report (FIR) and has launched a money laundering investigation against Dr. Ghosh.