Four student activists associated with ‘Nabanna Abhijan’ missing: Bengal LoP

Kolkata, Aug 27 (IANS) Four student activists associated with the ‘Nabanna Abhijan’ (March to Bengal Secretariat) have gone missing, the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the state Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari claimed on Tuesday.

According to him, the four student activists were distributing food items to the volunteers arriving at the Howrah station and then suddenly they went missing after midnight.

According to the LoP, these four student activists are Subhojit Ghosh, Pulokesh Pandit, Goutam Senapati and Pritam Sarkar.

“Neither they can be traced nor are they answering their phones. We apprehend that they may have been arrested or detained by the state police,” Adhikari said.

Trinamool Congress leadership has, however, claimed that it is doubtful whether the student activists, which the LoP was referring to, are “really missing or not and there was a possibility that such claims were made by the latter to spread tension since Tuesday morning”.

Meanwhile, the state police have started the process of raising aluminium guard walls at five points leading to the state secretariat located at Mandirtala in Kolkata-adjacent Howrah district. State police sources said that these aluminium guard walls would be fixed on the roads to prevent protesters from going beyond that and approaching the state secretariat.

Besides these aluminium guard walls, there will be metal barricades at different places. Barricades are being welded to large iron pipes by digging holes in the streets to prevent them from being torn down by the protesters. Water cannons have also been installed at places for use when necessary.

There will also be aerial surveillance for which drones will be used.

The routes of several public buses have already been diverted. Police apprehend that the traffic system in the city’s different pockets might be thrown out of gear following the protest march.

The march is being conducted in protest against the rape and murder of a junior doctor at Kolkata’s R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital earlier this month.

The ‘Nabanna Abhijan’ call has been given on social media by the students who have invited everyone to join in without carrying the banner of any political party. It is similar to the call given by women for a midnight march on the eve of Independence Day seeking justice for the R.G. Kar rape and murder victim.

–IANS

src/dpb