'Nabanna Abhijan' rallies begin in Kolkata, police on alert
Kolkata (PTI): Hundreds of processionists, mainly youths, commenced the 'Nabanna Abhijan' from two locations across the city on Tuesday afternoon demanding the resignation of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the arrest of those responsible for the rape-murder of a doctor in R G Kar hospital.
The rallyists held the CM responsible for failing to ensure the safety and security of women, which they argue led to the RG Kar tragedy that sparked nationwide outrage.
The rally, organised by student platform 'Chhatrasamaj' and 'Sangrami Joutha Mancha' of state government employees, began from two locations - College Square in north Kolkata and Santragachi in Howrah.
One processionist said, "We will reach Nabanna no matter what. We must get to the state secretariat to demand the resignation of the Chief Minister, whose administration has been trying to shield the perpetrators of this heinous crime and suppress the incident. We want to hear from her."
The rally originating from College Square will head towards Nabanna via Howrah Bridge, while the procession from Santragachi will proceed towards the state secretariat via Sibpur.
In response to the rally, police erected barricades along the roads leading to Nabanna and in its vicinity, citing prohibitory orders in the area.
Chhatrasamaj spokesperson Sayan Lahiri emphasised that the rally is apolitical.
"Despite provocations, we intend to keep this a peaceful, democratic movement against the horrific crime committed against our sister at R G Kar hospital. We demand justice for her and her family. The call for justice by the people of Bengal and the country must be acknowledged by the Mamata Banerjee government," Lahiri said.
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Double-decker electric bus gutted in fire at Kurla BEST depot
Mumbai (PTI): An empty double-decker electric bus was gutted in a fire during servicing at a BEST depot in Mumbai's Kurla area on Sunday, officials said, adding that nobody was injured.
The blaze broke out inside the Kurla BEST bus depot near Kanakia Building at 4.14 pm, according to preliminary information from the Mumbai Fire Brigade.
The parked bus was unoccupied at the time of the incident.
Fire brigade personnel rushed to the spot and brought the blaze under control. The exact cause of the fire was yet to be ascertained, they said.
No injuries were reported in the incident, officials added.
The Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) Undertaking has hired 50 electric double-decker buses from Switch Mobility in its fleet of around 2,700 buses.
