Daijiworld Media Network – Kolkata

Kolkata, Aug 10: At least five Kolkata Police personnel were injured, three of them hospitalised, as violent clashes broke out during the RG Kar protest rally in the city on Saturday. The march, led by the victim’s parents and Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, turned chaotic on Jawaharlal Nehru Road, near Park Street, when protesters clashed with security forces.

The city had been placed under heightened security in view of multiple rallies marking the gruesome rape and murder of a junior doctor on duty. The Calcutta High Court had refused to stop the ‘Nabanna Abhijan’ (march to the state secretariat), directing the state to impose prohibitory orders as per law. Kolkata Police had designated Satragachi and Rani Rashmoni Avenue as official protest sites.

To block entry towards the secretariat, police set up chained and welded iron barricades and placed shipping containers at key points, including Rani Rashmoni Avenue, Hastings and Satragachi. However, after 2 pm, the rally diverted from the designated site to Jawaharlal Nehru Road, where only a single line of barricades was in place.

Protesters, shouting slogans, tried to breach the barricades, hurled bricks, and used flagpoles against the police. In the melee, the victim’s mother suffered a head injury and was escorted out by BJP leaders and police personnel. Six FIRs have been registered in connection with the violence.