The Mamata Banerjee-led All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) has approached the Calcutta High Court seeking permission to hold its annual Martyrs’ Day rally on July 21 at its traditional venue near Victoria House in central Kolkata after the Kolkata Police denied permission for the event.
The petition comes in the wake of the Kolkata Police’s decision to refuse permission to both factions of the Trinamool Congress to organise the rally at Esplanade, citing prohibitory orders in force in the area and concerns over law and order. Police have maintained that restrictions imposed under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) prohibit large public gatherings at the proposed venue during the relevant period. The matter is scheduled to be listed before the single bench of Justice Saugata Bhattacharyya next week.
The July 21 rally, popularly known as the Martyrs’ Day or Shahid Diwas rally, is one of the Trinamool Congress’ most significant annual political events. It commemorates the death of 13 Youth Congress workers who were killed in police firing during a protest in Kolkata on July 21, 1993, when Mamata Banerjee was leading the Youth Congress in West Bengal. Since coming to power in 2011, the TMC has organised the rally almost every year at the Esplanade area, drawing large crowds from across the State.
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