‘Bullets will fly’: TMC sting video, police say conspiracy ahead of massive Nabanna rally; BJP strikes back

The Trinamool Congress has called for a 'Nabanna Abhijan' rally to demand the resignation of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday (August) following the alleged rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. for “illegally and with an attempt to incite widespread unrest in Kolkata”.

During the TMC's press conference chaired by senior leaders Chandrima Bhattacharya, Kunal Ghosh and Joyprakash Majumdar, two videos were released purportedly showing two persons advocating for violence to ensure the success of the rally. The party said the videos were obtained through a “sting operation” and alleged that there was a massive conspiracy hatched by right-wing groups and some left-wing elements, including the CPI(M), to turn the incident bloody and spread violence .

Meanwhile, the BJP responded to accusations that the TMC was using police to spread fear ahead of rallies, while the chief minister was trying to suppress a people's movement that was gaining momentum under “huge pressure”. Senior leader Amit Malviya said the police must take steps to ensure that protest marches are not disrupted as it is their responsibility to maintain law and order.

according to News18 BengaliThe authenticity of the video could not be verified, and two people can be heard saying: “If one or two bodies don't fall, nothing will happen…rubber bullets will fly.”

Trinamool spokesperson Kunal Ghosh questioned the rationale behind the rally's decision to go to the state secretariat, Nabanna, instead of the CBI office where investigations are ongoing. He warned of the potential for chaos, including outsiders being brought in and people wearing police uniforms to incite violence and blame police.

“What these people – mainly right-wing forces like the RSS and ABVP, as well as some leftists backed by the CPI(M) – really want is clear from these videos. They want death. We have news People from out of state were also brought in to incite riots during the rally, and we also learned that some people at the rally would wear police uniforms and shoot at people to put the blame on the police,” he said.

Senior minister Chandrima Bhattacharya claimed that the rally was organized by a student organization called Chhatra Samaj and was part of a plan by certain elements to disrupt peace and stability in the state. She dismissed calls for Banerjee's resignation as politically motivated.

“The Chhatra Samaj called for the rally on social media but did not disclose their plans to the police. We all want justice for the victims and exemplary punishment for the perpetrators. The case has been handed over to the CBI , the demand for the chief minister’s resignation was politically motivated.

Ghosh further said that destabilizing elements in Bengal were more interested in overthrowing the chief minister from power after repeated rejection by the Bengali electorate.

'Mamata Banerjee will take responsibility for unfortunate incident at Nabana rally'

In response, BJP federal assembly member and state spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya denied the party's involvement in the rally and claimed that if any member of the saffron party participated, it would be in a personal capacity. He said the BJP had no official role in organizing the march.

Malviya said that instead of maintaining law and order, police were used to spread fear and stifle people's right to protest. He said that, in fact, Banerjee would be held responsible for any untoward incident at the Nabana rally. He called the police “incompetent buffoons” who would rather act as doormats for the ruling TMC. In a post on X, he wrote: “To be clear, Home Minister Mamata Banerjee will be Nabanno Abyan takes full responsibility for any untoward incident that occurs during his stay. “

“After the Acting Deputy Attorney General of West Bengal (during #Sandeshkhali) and CP Kolkata (for their questionable role in cover-up of RG Kar rape and murder case) were completely discredited, Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee pushed Supratim Sarkar, ADG and IGP, 'Paschimbanga Chhatro Samaj' called on South Bengal to spread fear towards Nabanno Abhiyaan on August 27,” he said in the post.

He blamed the police for the previous vandalism at the RG Kar hospital that took place during the “Take Back the Night” protest march on the night of August 14-15. “To maintain law and order, the first thing the WB police should do is that all TMC MPs/MLAs/MPs and criminals affiliated with TMC, including those masquerading as citizen police, be taken into preventive custody. These people are most There is a possibility of resorting to violence and intimidation as directed by Mamata Banerjee. It is time to take action,” he added.

The Communist Party of India (M) also joined the BJP in criticizing the TMC, saying their claims were an expression of fear and desperation. Party leader Satarup Basu accused the party of panicking over rising spontaneous protests and stressed that the CPI(M) supports peaceful and democratic protests against the ruling party's alleged misrule .

“We have repeatedly stated that the PPP and right-wing organizations are behind the August 27 rally and no left-wing organization will participate,” Basu said.

The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) had previously clarified that it had not launched a call for marches but reiterated its support to the pro-democracy movement.