In rare sight, East Bengal, Mohun Bagan supporters join hands to protest Kolkata horror

Actor Usashi Chakraborty and theatre personality Sourav Palodhi were among the protesters wearing the jerseys of the clubs they support.

Kolkata: In an unprecedented show of camaraderie, the supporters of East Bengal and Mohun Bagan, the two arch-rivals in the area of football, came together on Sunday, defied police action and rain to protest against the rape and murder of a young doctor at a hospital in Kolkata.

The film personalities of West Bengal as well as the studio technicians also took out a rally in the city demanding justice for the postgraduate trainee doctor, who was found raped and murdered at the Seminar Hall of the Department of Chest Medicine on the third floor of the R G Kar Medical College and Hospital (RGKMCH) on August 9. The medics too continued their protest in the city.

Police dispersed the football fans, who gathered in front of the stadium defying prohibitory orders although the season’s first Kolkata Derby match between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan was cancelled, apparently in view of the widespread protest against the murder of the postgraduate trainee doctor. Unlike other days, when they cheered for their respective clubs, the supporters of both clubs on Sunday raised slogans demanding justice for the deceased doctor.

A large number of police personnel were deployed around Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata, although the concluding Durand Cup Group A match between the two traditional rivals was cancelled. The prohibitory orders under Section 163 of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, were already imposed in and around the RGKMCH as well as several other areas in the city. The police not only dispersed the mob from around the stadium but also detained a large number of football fans, who later blocked a key road in the city, waving the flags of the two clubs and singing the national anthem. The blockade continued for almost four hours.

“The match has been cancelled, but we came to seek justice for the doctor, who was brutally raped and murdered,” said East Bengal supporter Samir Das. “If we don’t protest now, someday one of our own families, one of our near and dear ones, will also be killed in a similar manner,” said Mohun Bagan supporter Joy Mukherjee.

Kalyan Chaubey, the president of the All-India Football Federation and a BJP leader, said that the matches between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan should be held in Kolkata. “I believe that football is not involved in any politics, it is above all religion, caste. I am fully confident that if the match is held here, there will be no ruckus, no unrest in the football ground,” he said, adding: “The people of football also want that the culprit (responsible for the rape and murder of the young doctor) should be caught as soon as possible and the culprit should be punished”.

Several celebrities also joined the football fans, including Mohun Bagan captain Subhashish Bose. The supporters of the Mohammedan Sporting Club, another giant in city football, also joined their counterparts from East Bengal and Mohun Bagan.

“We only want to give vent to our anguish over the shocking incident at the R G Kar Medical College and Hospital. We cannot go back to business as usual unless the victim gets justice and unless we can ensure the security of women,” theatre personality Sourabh Palodhi said.