Biswabrata Goswami
KRISHNAGAR, 10 NOV: Five youths who were allegedly involved in yesterday’s ten-hour-long spontaneous apolitical mass protest against the ban on the immersion procession with ‘Saang’, were produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrate court today where the magistrate on hearing pleas remanded them in judicial custody for seven days. They will be produced again before the court on 16 November.
The Kotwali police arrested the youths named Sritam Pal Chowdhury of High Street, Santu Bhattacharjee of Ghurni, Rana Sinha of College Street, Ranjit Sardar of Majdiya and Sanjib Haldar of Nagendranagar early on this morning for violating laws including blocking National Highway, disobedience of order promulgated by public servant, assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty and others, said Kishore Mukherjee, defence lawyer.
The Kotwali police basically initiated three cases (Case no. 1103, 1104 and1105 dated 10.11.2021) against unknown persons who were involved in series of mass protests held yesterday by hundreds of Krishnagar people including scores of women demanding the withdraw of the ban on immersion procession with Saang i.e. carrying idols with saang on shoulders of bearers.
Among the three cases, the Kotwali police arrested five youths in the case no 1104 under sections 143/283/285/188/353/337/34 of IPC and 8(b) NH Act, 1956. In other two cases – one for the death of a seven-year-old boy inside the ambulance which was blocked in the National Highway-34 due to the agitation in the late night and injuries of three persons for brick batting during the blockade on the NH-34, the police have filed a prayer before the court for tagging the names of four youths who have already named in the case no 1104.
Considering the guidelines enacted by the Kolkata High Court over some restrictions on puja festivities to curb the spread of Covid infections, the Krishnagar police district has banned immersion procession with ‘Saang’ this year too like previous year.
But, confusion triggered from the recently held administrative coordination meeting with Jagaddhatri puja committees where Trinamul Congress Krishnagar North district president Jayanta Saha and chairperson of Krishnagar municipality administrative body Naresh Das appealed before the administration to allow the tradition idol immersion procession with saang and to maintain its traditional route of idol procession while the TMC minister Ujjal Biswas pleaded for maintaining the High Court order regarding the puja and immersion.
Thousands of Krishnagar people who raised voice for keeping traditional legacy of Krishnagar Jagaddhatri puja, immediately started chatting in social medias on hopes to converge the ‘emotion’ of Krishnagar people and yesterday they took to the street to protest against the ban on traditional immersion procession.
Armed with their only ‘emotion’ for keeping their traditional Jagaddhatri puja legacy, hundreds of youths and women irrespective of their political inclination started a protest agitation at Municipality More (crossing) which later turned into a mass protest. The agitation started from 6 pm and it continued till 9.30 pm. The Kotwali IC, Raktim Chakraborty finally appeared before the mass carrying court order, saying that they have no power to violate court order.
The agitators then started agitation in front of the Kotwali police station but the police once again said that they have nothing to do about their demands.
Infuriated by the declination from the administrative part, a section of agitators went to the PWD More on the National Highwat-34 and put up a roadblock. As a result, hundreds of vehicles were stranded on the highway leading to a huge traffic jam. The agitation continued till 3 am until the Kotwali police resorted to a lathicharge to disperse the mob. During the agitation, an ambulance carrying a patient from Malda to reach Kolkata was blocked and it had to wait for two hours to reach PWD More. Though the agitators helped to make a passage for the ambulance and other emergency service vehicles, the ambulance, however, could not move an inch for an hour near the bridge where stranded vehicles blocked the entire road.
When the ambulance carrying a seven-year-old boy suffering from acute ailments reached PWD More, it was immediately sent to the Saktinagar district hospital where the doctor pronounced him brought dead.
This unwanted incident forced the police to resort to a lathicharge to disperse the agitators from the National Highway, but it was too late.
Images by HBN
Tags: #KrishnagarJagaddhatriPuja #Legacy #Saang #FiveYouthsArrested
