Calcutta HC allows Hindutva group to protest alleged atrocities against Hindus in Bangladesh at rally in Kolkata

Calcutta High Court grants Hindutva group permission for protest march in Kolkata against attacks on religious minorities in Bangladesh.

The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday (November 12, 2024) granted permission to a Hindutva group to carry out a protest march in Kolkata on Tuesday against alleged attacks on religious minorities in Bangladesh.

Earlier, the rally’s organisers, the Giri Gobardhandhari Charitable Trust, were denied permission by the Kolkata police to hold the protest rally, after which they approached the Calcutta High Court. 

Justice Tirthankar Ghosh directed the procession to be held with no more than 1,000 people between 12.15 p.m. and 4.15 p.m. on Tuesday. According to the court order, the rally has been directed to proceed from Kolkata’s Rani Rashmoni Avenue towards Lenin Sarani, take a right turn at the Moulali Junction of A.J.C. Bose Road and end at Beck Bagan Crossing.

The court also allowed a five-member delegation to proceed from the rally’s end point to meet the Bangladesh High Commissioner or any officer authorised by the High Commissioner, and to submit a deputation.

“The organizers will at the Beck Bagan Crossing control their sympathizers and will not take such steps which may disturb both the local population as well as the bilateral relations,” the High Court also said in its order of Tuesday. 

This development comes three months after Sheikh Hasina resigned as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh and left the country on August 5, causing political turmoil in Bangladesh and creating ripples in the internal politics of West Bengal. The State shares a 2,296 km-long border with Bangladesh. 

Shortly after news broke of Ms. Hasina’s resignation, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had appealed to the people of West Bengal to maintain peace and not engage in rumours or provocation, especially on communal lines.