Debasis Sen and Snehasis Mukherjee
In a rare display of solidarity, Mohun Bagan, East Bengal, and Mohammedan Sporting fans came together, demanding justice for the RG Kar rape and murder victim on Sunday, August 18. Thousands of supporters from the three big clubs gathered for a peaceful protest in front of the Salt Lake Stadium, after the Durand Cup organisers were forced to cancel Sunday’s Kolkata Derby, citing lack of police forces.
Subhasish Bose, who was supposed to lead Mohun Bagan Super Giants in the derby against arch-rivals East Bengal, was seen in the protest gathering along with his wife Kasturi. The 29-year-old defender of the national team chose to be part of the mass outrage against the heinous crime committed against the post-graduate intern doctor at the RG Kar hospital on August 9.
In a social media post, Subhasish wrote, “The RG Kar incident was absolutely horrific and mind-numbing, but the details coming out along with the authorities’ attempts to hide the truth and silence the people is beyond shocking. As a society, we’ve failed our women again and again. But now let’s do what we can to make our voices heard.
“They can cancel events, prevent gatherings and shut down protests, but we must continue our demand for justice for our women. This is not just a fight for the women, but for every father, brother, husband and friend. It’s on every one of us to fight back and help build a safer country for the ones we love.”
The fans began assembling outside the stadium’s VIP gate around 3:30 pm, and the blockade of EM Bypass began an hour later. Despite knowing the authorities had imposed a ban on gatherings of more than three people in that area, fans clad in their club jerseys, chanted slogans demanding justice and questioned why only one arrest had been made so far. During a press conference earlier in the day, Bidhannagar police had warned of potential violence, citing audio clips that suggested plans for “gas bombs” and an “armed attack.”
As the crowds swelled in numbers, police dispersed them towards the Hyatt crossing. Barricades were set up near the Building More crossing on EM Bypass as they pushed the protesters back to the Duttabad crossing. With the crowd increasing, Bidhannagar and Kolkata police resorted to lathi-charge to disperse the crowd, in this case the peaceful protesters, who were mostly supporters of the three clubs.
All India Football Federation president Kalyan Chaubey, who arrived at the scene, emphasised that football transcends politics. He intervened to prevent the arrest of peaceful protesters and stood in front of police vehicles to support their cause. Kudos to the AIFF President as he went to Lalbazar later in the evening to release the supporters who were arrested by the police.
According to Kalyan, “The first derby match of the season between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan was scheduled to be held today (Sunday). The number of police personnel that have been deployed here to stop this match, and to arrest the supporters who had come to watch the match, if even half of them were deployed, then this match would have taken place.”
The AIFF President was logical, as the Kolkata derby could have been easily organised, even with half the police personnel deployed to stop the peaceful protesters.
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