The incident occurred on Wednesday night in Mathabhanga town during a protest organized as part of the ‘Reclaim the Night’ campaign, which aimed to demand justice for the 31-year-old trainee doctor from Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
The protest was called to demand justice for the trainee doctor who was raped and murdered.
Violence broke out in West Bengal’s Cooch Behar district on Wednesday night during a protest against the rape and murder of a 31-year-old trainee doctor from Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. The protest, part of the ‘Reclaim the Night’ campaign, took place in Mathabhanga town and called for justice for the victim.
The peaceful protest, which attracted thousands of participants, featured songs, poetry, and street art aimed at raising awareness about violence against women. However, the situation escalated when a protester, Pradyut Saha, a local CPM party secretary and employee of Mathabhanga municipality, was allegedly assaulted by workers from the ruling Trinamool Congress party.
A local leader from Trinamool denied involvement, asserting that the party had held a separate protest in the town. Despite the denial, the opposition BJP condemned the attack, accusing Trinamool of attempting to silence protesters.
Suvendu Adhikari, Leader of the Opposition in the Bengal Assembly, denounced the incident on social media, specifically accusing Trinamool’s Block President Biswajit Roy and other party members of orchestrating the violence. BJP state chief Sukanta Majumdar also condemned the attack, calling Trinamool “anti-democratic and anti-humanity,” and questioning Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s governance.
As tensions rose, police were deployed across Mathabhanga to restore order. Meanwhile, additional protests were held across West Bengal, including in Barasat, where 13 protesters, including women, were arrested in the early hours of Thursday morning.
