Kolkata ‘Nabanna Abhijan’ rally: Video of elderly man braving water cannons goes viral; BJP, Trinamool react

Reacting to the video, BJP leader Locket Chatterjee said that the man in the clip is “defining his steadfast determination” against the West Bengal government.

Updated on: Aug 28, 2024, 10:10:04 IST

By HT News Desk

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Amid the chaos in Kolkata in the wake of the ‘Nabanna Abhijan’ rally on Tuesday to protest the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, a video of an elderly man braving through the police's water cannons has gone viral on social media.

Kolkata ‘Nabanna Abhijan’ rally: Video of elderly man braving water cannons goes viral (Twitter)

In the video, which was shared by Bharatiya Janata Party leaders as well, the man wearing a saffron-coloured outfit can be seen standing undetered and facing the water cannons used by the Kolkata Police to disperse the protesting crowd. The man also kept waving the national flag in his hand.

‘Steadfast determination against state govt’: BJP

Reacting to the video, BJP leader Locket Chatterjee said that the man in the clip is “defining his steadfast determination” against the West Bengal government led by Mamata Banerjee.

“End anarchy, end fascism. We all demand the end of TMC's tyranny. With the Tiranga in hand amid blasting water cannons, this man is defining his steadfast determination to against the oppression of @MamataOfficial. I stand by him, the people of the state stand by him and the entire country is standing by him,” she wrote on X.

Also read: Video shows crowd at Kolkata's RG Kar hospital seminar room; ‘who are they’, asks senior Trinamool MP

BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya also shared the video saying: “The man, waving a national flag, on the iconic Howrah bridge, amidst blazing water cannon, is the ultimate symbol of defiance against an oppressive Mamata Banerjee regime.”

TMC reacts

Trinamool Congress spokesperson Riju Dutta shared a collage picture of several protesters, which also included the elderly man, calling them “hooligans of BJP”.

“They wanted “Dead Bodies”, they wanted to create a Anarchy like Bangladesh in Bengal. They pelted stones at police, broke barricades, destroyed police vehicles, set fire to motorcycles, multiple police badly injured, IC Chanditala head split wide open…This will NOT BE TOLERATED!,” he wrote on X.

Dutta further thanked the West Bengal Police for “keeping their composure even under attack and restoring law and order”.

Several members of the new student body ‘Paschimbanga Chhatra Samaj’ and other organisations held a ‘Nabanna Abhijan’ rally in Kolkata to protest against the rape and murder of a 31-year-old trainee doctor at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. The rally was held despite the state police terming it as “illegal” and “unauthorized”, citing concerns over potential violence and public disorder.

During the demonstration, clashes erupted between police and protesters in various areas of Kolkata and Howrah as the protesting members tried to breach barricades to march towards the West Bengal secretariat. The police resorted to the use of teargas and lathi-charge to disperse BJP leaders and supporters who marched towards Kolkata Police headquarters Lalbazar.

Meanwhile, over 200 people were arrested by police in connection with the rally.

On Wednesday, the BJP called for a 12-hour ‘Bangla bandh’ in protest against the “brutal” police action against “peaceful” protesters during the ‘Nabanna Abhijan’ rally.

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HT News Desk
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