Though there has been no official announcement on school closure for today, Mahua Moitra, All India Trinamool Congress member and Member of Parliament, tweeted on her X (formerly Twitter) account that the BJP is forcefully shutting down schools.
“BJP goons forcefully shutting high schools today. Don’t expect more from a party whose leader has a mystery degree in entire Political Science. Thank you BJP for reinforcing why Bengal shuns you. Jai Shri Galgoatias,” reads her X post.
While the name of the school is not clearly visible in the tweet, she tweeted that some individuals affiliated with the BJP were forcibly shutting down schools. In the video, three men can be seen attempting to place the BJP flag on the closed gate of the institution.
Why has the BJP called for a 12-hour Bandh in Bengal?
The BJP Bengal has called for the Bangla Bandh to protest the police’s actions against students. While the BJP leadership in West Bengal has voiced moral support for the student-led protest, they have clarified that they are not directly involved in organizing the rally.
What is the Nabanna Abhijan protest and what happened on August 27?
The Nabanna Abhijan is a prominent protest movement in West Bengal, led by various student and youth organizations. “Nabanna Abhijan” translates to “March to Nabbana,” referring to the state secretariat in Howrah. Over the years, this movement has witnessed several iterations, often involving intense clashes with the police.
On August 27, 2024, West Bengal experienced a major Nabanna Abhijan protest. Organized by the Paschim Banga Chhatra Samaj and the Sangrami Joutha Mancha, the protestors demanded Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s resignation over the RG Kar hospital rape-murder case, accusing the government of failing to protect citizens. The march began from various locations in Kolkata and Howrah.
The police set up over 20 barricades near Nabanna, applying oil to make them slippery, but protesters broke through, sparking violent clashes. The police used water cannons, tear gas, and lathi charges to disperse the crowd, while drones and robocops monitored the situation. Several protesters were arrested for alleged involvement in violence and conspiracy.
RG Kar tragedy: What happened there on August 9?
On August 9, a postgraduate trainee doctor was raped and murdered while on duty at RG Kar Medical College. West Bengal and other states have witnessed massive protests against this atrocity. Amid protests, Dr. Sandip Ghosh resigned as principal on August 12 on the grounds of his alleged association with the case. After he resigned from his post, questions were raised about alleged mismanagement of funds.
The prime suspect in this crime is, however, Sanjoy Roy, a civic police volunteer. Reports indicate that on the night of the incident, Roy was seen entering the emergency building at 4 am, wearing a Bluetooth device. When he left 40 minutes later, the device was missing and was later found near the victim’s body. The police paired the device with his phone, linking him to the crime. Recently, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officers conducted the lie-detector test on the prime accused among others.