Elderly protesters in Kolkata face water cannon sparking debate. student? TMC asked. Bharatiya Janata Party expresses determination

An elderly man braved water cannon to protest against the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government over the alleged rape and murder of a Kolkata doctor on Tuesday, holding the tricolor in his hand, which went viral on social media. While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) termed his courage as a “defiant spirit”, the TMC questioned the man's presence at the student protests.

The man came into the spotlight after several BJP leaders shared footage of him facing water cannons from the Mamata Banerjee-led government.

In a widely circulated video clip, the man can be heard telling cameras to capture the moment Kolkata police officers should wear bracelets.

A large crowd gathered around Kolkata's College Square on Tuesday to take part in Tuesday's 'Nabanna Abhiyan' protest march. However, tense scenes emerged across the state shortly after the rally began, with police firing Lassi, water cannon and tear gas to disperse protesters during the protests. However, police said the action was taken after protesters in Kolkata broke through barricades and hurled stones.

Symbol of defiance: BJP shares footage of man facing water cannon

Amit Malviya, head of the BJP's IT cell, shared a video of a man holding the national flag as police used water cannon to disperse protesters through his official account. “This man waving the national flag amidst blazing water cannons on the iconic Howrah Bridge is the ultimate symbol of resistance against the oppressive Mamata Banerjee regime,” Malviya wrote.

Bharatiya Janata Party leader Locket Chatterjee also shared footage from the protest, in which an elderly man wearing saffron faced water cannons and waved the national flag. “Saffron has always stood up against injustice and this marked the beginning of the downfall of the TMC government. Arrogance, lawlessness and unchecked ego will soon face consequences. This video captures the spirit of defiance and the demand for accountability,” she said in said the tweet.

“End anarchy, end fascism. We all demand an end to TMC’s tyranny. Holding a tiranga and amidst water cannon, this man is expressing his firm determination against the oppression of Mamata Banerjee. I support him, people across the state support him, and the entire country supports him.

TMC fights back

While the BJP praised the man for his courage in standing up against the ruling regime, the Trinamool Congress pointed out that the man was not a student and called him one of the “BJP hooligans”.

TMC leader Riju Datta shared photos of several protesters on X and said they were not protesting against students. “These people are not students. These are BJP hooligans.

“They want 'bodies', they want to create anarchy in Bangladesh like that in Bangladesh. They threw stones at the police, broke down roadblocks, destroyed police vehicles, set motorcycles on fire, many policemen were seriously injured, IC Chanditala suffered a split head Open… This cannot be tolerated! I want to sincerely thank the Bangladesh Police. Stay calm even under attack and restore law and order! he added.

Quoting a dialogue from the popular web series Panchayat, another TMC leader Gautam Deb wrote: “Kijiye study study, Kheliye study study, Karte Rahiye study study. In today's act of vandalism, young students of the BJP were spotted Keep your head down in class.

Netizen reaction

Apart from the feud between the BJP and TMC over protests and police action, some social media users also shared the man's video saying “salute his courage”.

While some social media users praised the man's courage, others questioned the elderly man's presence at the student protests. One user mocked the man, writing: “Student dice. According to ABP Ananda and the BJP IT cell, the white-bearded man who asked the police to wear bracelets was a student. He took to the streets of Kolkata “as a student” to protest against the RG Kar incident.

The entire incident erupted after the protesters raised banners and slogans demanding justice for the rape and murder of a 31-year-old Kolkata doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, after which water cannons were fired at the protesters. Notably, today’s rally was organized by students’ platform ‘Chhatrasamaj’ and state government employees ‘Sangrami Joutha Mancha’.