TMC’s mega July 21 event at Dharmatala denied permission; police cite traffic inconvenience

After the Ritabrata as well as the Kalighat factions of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) sought permission to hold seperate programmes on July 21 Martyrs’ Day at Dharmatala, the party’s most significant political event held annually since 1993, the Kolkata Police denied permission to both the groups.

The cops cited traffic and public inconvenience concerns in one of the city’s busiest areas while denying them permission to hold the public rally. Officials from the Kolkata police headquarters said that no political programme blocking roads would be allowed at Dharmatala.

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Both groups wanted to organise seperate programmes in front of Victoria House on July 21 to observe Martyrs’ Day.

The refusal from the Kolkata Police comes a day after a case was registered against TMC leaders Kunal Ghosh and Dola Sen for allegedly obstructing traffic while carrying out measurements at the proposed venue on Sunday.

Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari had criticised the move in the Assembly on Monday. Taking a swipe at the leaders, he said they had gone to the site with measuring tapes before receiving permission and suggested that if they expected a large turnout, they should consider holding the meeting at Brigade Parade Ground.

Reacting to the police decision, former Rajya Sabha MP Subhasish Chakraborty, who hails from the Kalighat faction, said they have not yet received any official communication and so would not comment on the matter immediately.

Akhruzzaman, the chief whip of the Ritabrata faction and MLA from Raghunathganj in Murshidabad, said, “We will observe Martyrs’ Day without causing inconvenience to the public. We will discuss the matter among ourselves before taking the final decision.”

Questions were raised about whether the annual July 21 programme would be held, because of divisions within the Trinamool Congress. Party chief Mamata Banerjee had recently called on party workers to gather at the traditional venue at Dharmatala, expressing hope that permission for the event would be granted.

The July 21 Martyrs’ Day programme has been closely associated with the Trinamool Congress for more than three decades, with Dharmatala serving as its traditional venue in most years.

The observance commemorates the events of July 21, 1993, when police firing during a Youth Congress march towards Writers’ Building in Kolkata led to the deaths of 13 people.

The protest, led by Mamata Banerjee, had demanded voter identity cards and became a defining moment in West Bengal politics.