The Trinamool Congress faction, led by former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, approached a single-judge bench of the Calcutta High Court regarding reported vandalism at the site of the party’s Martyrs’ Day rally. The faction had earlier sent a communication to the office of the Acting Chief Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty, alleging that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) activists, with alleged assistance from the police, were involved in the vandalism.
As the Calcutta High Court convened, a petition was filed before Justice Sougata Bhattacharya, claiming that the vandalism was a form of “contempt of court” as the rally was being held at the Birla Planetarium in Central Kolkata, following a court order from the previous week. Justice Bhattacharya, after admitting the petition, demanded an explanation from the Kolkata Police by the afternoon and expressed astonishment at the situation, questioning how such events occurred despite the court’s prior approval in the presence of the state’s advocate general.
Justice Bhattacharya emphasized the importance of maintaining law and order during the rally, reminding the joint commissioner of Kolkata Police of the court’s instructions. He noted that the situation was a setback for the court given the clear directives issued. Mamata Banerjee herself stated that her faction would take legal action against the alleged vandalism, accusing the police of attempting to disrupt their rally and warning of a contempt of court petition against the state government and police if such actions persisted.
Today marks the July 21 Martyrs’ Day, commemorating 13 Youth Congress workers who lost their lives in 1993 during a protest rally under the Left Front regime, with Jyoti Basu as Chief Minister. Three separate rallies are scheduled for the day to honor their memory.
