Calcutta HC refuses to ban protest march led by R.G. Kar victim's parents on Aug 9

Kolkata, Aug 7 (IANS) A division bench of the Calcutta High Court, on Thursday, refused to impose a ban on the "Nabanna Avijan (March to the State Secretariat)" convened by the parents of the R.G. Kar rape and murder victim on August 9, which marks the first anniversary of the rape and murder of a junior woman doctor within the hospital premises in August last year.

The hearing on the petition seeking a stay on the protest march was concluded at Calcutta High Court's division bench of Justice Sujoy Paul and Justice Smita Das De on Thursday afternoon.

However, the division bench kept the order on reserve, and finally, on late Thursday evening, the order was pronounced.

The division bench also observed that the right to peaceful assembly was sacrosanct and hence no one could be denied that right.

On August 6, a petition was filed at the Calcutta High Court, with the plea for the court's intervention to prevent "Nabanna Avijan" on August 9.

The body of the victim was recovered from a seminar hall within the hospital premises in the morning of August 9.

The victim's parents have given a call for the "March to the State Secretariat" rally and invited all political parties in the state, except Trinamool Congress, to participate there, but without carrying their respective party flags.

West Bengal Leader of the Opposition (LoP) and veteran BJP leader, Suvendu Adhikari, who first floated the idea involving the victim's parents there, had extended full-fledged support towards the protest march.

On Wednesday, LoP Adhikari accused the West Bengal government of allegedly using its entire police administration to stop the protest march.

The BJP leader said that a special police briefing had been convened on Wednesday evening, which almost all top IPS officers of West Bengal Police had been asked to attend.

Taking to his official social media account, LoP Adhikari, without mentioning Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's name, said that she had gone to Jhargram to attend her events after deploying the police force to protect the State Secretariat.

"Abhaya's parents, a year after the hellish episode that happened to their child, have called for a 'Nabanna Aviijan' to demand answers from the state's police and Health Minister for her failure over the incident. But out of that fear, the Chief Minister has already fled the city on the pretext of an administrative programme in Jhargram!" LoP Adhikari alleged.

--IANS

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