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Three Rival Camps Hold Separate Martyrs’ Day Programmes in Central Kolkata

Competing claims of opposition legitimacy prompted heavy security following the tabling of a long‑withheld judicial report.

Overview

  • Three rival political camps are holding separate July 21 Martyrs’ Day programmes in central Kolkata within roughly a 2.5 km radius.
  • Mamata Banerjee spent the night at her court‑authorised Birla Planetarium venue after she said the stage was vandalised and supporters were being intimidated, a claim the BJP has rejected.
  • The Mamata faction received Calcutta High Court permission to use Cathedral Road while a Ritabrata Banerjee group is rallying on Mayo Road and the Congress is meeting at Shahid Minar.
  • Kolkata police put up barricades, regulated traffic and deployed extra personnel and drones to prevent clashes between the closely sited events.
  • The state’s tabling of a long‑withheld judicial commission report on the 1993 police firing has reframed the memorial into a battle over narrative and may deepen the split over who speaks for the opposition.