Kolkata braces for Shahid Diwas traffic curbs amid high court directives
Besides, in a recent order, the Calcutta High Court has mandated that processions related to the annual TMC rally in Dharmatala be permitted only before 8 am and after 11 am. The three-hour window, from 8 am to 11 am, the court observed, was critical for maintaining the traffic flow in Kolkata.
Kolkata Police Commissioner (CP) Manoj Verma, after reviewing arrangements on Saturday, affirmed the force's commitment to fulfilling the high court's directives.
'The preparations for the Martyrs' Day rally are in the final stages. We will ensure that the Calcutta High Court's orders are complied with. All the officers have been informed in this regard. We will deploy extra police officers and civic volunteers to ensure smooth traffic movement,' CP Verma said.
He also launched three helplines – 1073, 9830811111, and 9830010000 – for the assistance of the public on rally day.
'July 21st is an emotion; people go there out of emotion. We have full respect for the high court, the police will take care of the traffic, but on July 21st, people come voluntarily and feel emotional about it,' said TMC Spokesperson Kunal Ghosh.
The police released a notification outlining extensive traffic restrictions for passenger vehicles from 4 am to 9 pm on July 21. These include:
No goods vehicles will be permitted to enter the city from 3 am to 8 pm on July 21. Exceptions have been made for vehicles carrying essential goods such as LPG gas cylinders, fish, and meat.
Parking will be strictly prohibited in several important areas and streets, including those adjacent to the Victoria Memorial (Hastings Crossing, Cathedral Road, Hospital Road, Lovers Lane, Casuarina Avenue). Trams and other vehicles will not be allowed to park on roads along the procession routes towards Dharmatala. The police may temporarily direct vehicles to alternate routes, including diverting major road traffic to smaller roads, based on real-time assessments.
Given that Monday, July 21, is the first working day of the week, the police have advised commuters to anticipate significant diversions and delays. The Kolkata Metro has been recommended as the most reliable travel option to avoid road congestion.
The annual Shahid Diwas rally commemorates the death of Youth Congress workers in police firing in 1993. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, then a leader of the Youth Congress, was leading the demonstration at the time of the incident.
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Indian Express
an hour ago
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Decode Politics: As Mamata Banerjee begins a new ‘Bhasha Andolan' from today, a look at key language stirs in the past
Less than a year before the West Bengal Assembly elections, Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee has called for a statewide 'Bhasha Andolan (language movement)' to protest the alleged harassment of Bengali-speaking people in the BJP-ruled states. In Bengal, movements centred on language are not new. Historically, both halves of the erstwhile undivided Bengal have seen multiple language agitations. Now, beginning July 27, Mamata will lead the newest iteration of a Bhasha Andolan in the state. Addressing the TMC's 'Shaheed Diwas (Martyrs' Day)' rally on July 21 in Kolkata, Mamata accused the BJP of allegedly unleashing 'linguistic terrorism' against Bengalis and called for a movement against the 'harassment' of Bengali-speaking people in different states. Every year the TMC observes 'Shaheed Diwas' to mark police firing on workers of Bengal Youth Congress, then led by Mamata, in Kolkata on July 21, 1993, in which 13 people were killed. The state was then ruled by the CPI(M)-led Left Front. 'Bangla bhashar upor sontras cholchhe (terror is being unleashed on the Bengali language),' she said. 'Over 1,000 people detained, sent to jails in BJP-ruled states, including Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. This is a conspiracy against the Bengali language. Whoever speaks Bengali is being detained in BJP-ruled states.' The CM said, 'We have over 22 lakh migrants outside Bengal. But there are 1.5 crore migrants working in Bengal. We love Hindi language, we love Gujarati language. But why do you (the BJP) conspire against Bengali language?' Announcing the Bhasha Andolan, Mamata said, 'From July 27, we will hit the streets in protest. Every Saturday and Sunday we will protest in Bengal. I urge our MPs to protest at the Mahatma Gandhi statue in Delhi. Intellectuals and sports personalities would also participate in the protest.' 'Remember, Bengal took part in the freedom struggle… If people are put in jail for speaking the Bengali language, then we will protest. I am not someone who leaves the fight midway. Remember Nandigram fight, remember Singur… The BJP has to be removed from power at the Centre,' said Mamata, referring to the controversial land acquisition projects in Nandigram and Singur under the previous Left government in Bengal. After the Partition of India in August 1947, the newly-formed state of Pakistan was divided into two parts on either side of India – East and West Pakistan. The Bhasha Andolan has its roots in Bangladesh, when it was still known as East Pakistan. Soon afterwards, students and activists began a language movement in East Pakistan, seeking the recognition of Bengali as an official language. The Pakistani government declared Urdu as the sole national language, sparking widespread protests among the Bengali-speaking majority in East Pakistan in the late 1940s and early 1950s. The 'imposition' of Urdu was perceived as an attempt to undermine Bengali culture and identity, and politically marginalise those in East Pakistan. The movement peaked on February 21, 1952, when a peaceful demonstration was met with violent police action, resulting in numerous deaths. After years of unrest, the Pakistani government declared Bengali as an official language in 1956. The significance of the language movement extended beyond its immediate outcome. It is seen as a key moment in the assertion of Bengali cultural and national identity, which played a significant role in the subsequent movement for Bangladesh's independence from Pakistan in 1971. In Bangladesh, February 21 is now commemorated as 'Martyrs' Day' to honour those who were killed during the language movement. In 1999, the UNESCO recognised February 21 as the International Mother Language Day. After Independence, the Bengali-speaking Manbhum district remained part of Bihar whose government declared Hindi as its official language. This sparked an agitation in Manbhum to demand equal status for Bangla or Bengali language. In May 1948, a proposal floated in the Congress party's Manbhum unit to declare Bengali as the official language in the district was defeated by 43-55 votes. Unhappy with the outcome, the district Congress president and secretary, along with 35 other party members, resigned from the party. In June 1948, the Lok Sevak Sangha was founded in Manbhum to fight for Bangla rights and against the imposition of Hindi. This Bhasha Andolan was the first of its kind in India. The then Bihar government had restricted the use of Bengali in education in Manbhum, and went on to ban rallies demanding the recognition of Bangla, which set off fierce protests across the district in the early 1950s. In 1953, the Centre formed a States Reorganisation Commission. After holding hearings in Manbhum, the Commission, in its report submitted in October 1955, proposed the formation of a new Bengali majority district that would fall within West Bengal. So, in November 1956, the Purulia district – spanning 5,200 sq km and with a population of 11.7 lakh – was carved out of Manbhum and inducted in West Bengal. Noted actor and BJP leader Mithun Chakraborty launched a sharp attack at Mamata over her call for a language agitation. 'She wants to create controversy in everything… Nothing is going to happen… Bangla language will remain as it is. Mamata Banerjee has got no monopoly over it… We will put up a strong fight,' he said. Chakraborty alleged that the TMC was attempting to 'manufacture issues' ahead of the 2026 Assembly polls. 'Bengali-speaking people have not faced any kind of unnecessary harassment anywhere in the country. Actually, the TMC is running short of issues before the elections. So the CM is trying to create a false narrative and trying to instigate common people, which she has always done,' he added. State BJP president Samik Bhattacharya claimed that Mamata was more interested in 'protecting Bengali-speaking infiltrators from Bangladesh'. 'Bengali-speaking Indian Muslims in the border areas of West Bengal are losing jobs to Bangladeshi Muslims, who have entered the country illegally. The true Bengali-speaking people are leaving West Bengal in search of jobs, and at times, they are being mistaken for Bangladeshi Muslims. Who is responsible for this? Illegal Rohingyas have been given a place to live in West Bengal. Fake job cards and voter cards are being issued to them. The Election Commission is taking action and deleting such fake voters. But Mamata Banerjee is supporting them for her vote bank politics,' Bhattacharya alleged. Senior CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty also took a jibe at the CM over her proposed stir. 'By calling her fight against the harassment of Bengali-speaking people as 'Bhasha Andolan', Mamata Banerjee has reduced the importance of the actual Bhasha Andolan. Not every fight can be branded as a language movement,' he said.
Indian Express
3 hours ago
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Decode Politics: As Mamata calls for a new ‘Bhasha Andolan', a look at key stirs
Less than a year before the West Bengal Assembly elections, Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee has called for a statewide 'Bhasha Andolan (language movement)' to protest the alleged harassment of Bengali-speaking people in the BJP-ruled states. In Bengal, movements centred on language are not new. Historically, both halves of the erstwhile undivided Bengal have seen multiple language agitations. Now, beginning July 27, Mamata will lead the newest iteration of a Bhasha Andolan in the state. Addressing the TMC's 'Shaheed Diwas (Martyrs' Day)' rally on July 21 in Kolkata, Mamata accused the BJP of allegedly unleashing 'linguistic terrorism' against Bengalis and called for a movement against the 'harassment' of Bengali-speaking people in different states. Every year the TMC observes 'Shaheed Diwas' to mark police firing on workers of Bengal Youth Congress, then led by Mamata, in Kolkata on July 21, 1993, in which 13 people were killed. The state was then ruled by the CPI(M)-led Left Front. 'Bangla bhashar upor sontras cholchhe (terror is being unleashed on the Bengali language),' she said. 'Over 1,000 people detained, sent to jails in BJP-ruled states, including Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. This is a conspiracy against the Bengali language. Whoever speaks Bengali is being detained in BJP-ruled states.' The CM said, 'We have over 22 lakh migrants outside Bengal. But there are 1.5 crore migrants working in Bengal. We love Hindi language, we love Gujarati language. But why do you (the BJP) conspire against Bengali language?' Announcing the Bhasha Andolan, Mamata said, 'From July 27, we will hit the streets in protest. Every Saturday and Sunday we will protest in Bengal. I urge our MPs to protest at the Mahatma Gandhi statue in Delhi. Intellectuals and sports personalities would also participate in the protest.' 'Remember, Bengal took part in the freedom struggle… If people are put in jail for speaking the Bengali language, then we will protest. I am not someone who leaves the fight midway. Remember Nandigram fight, remember Singur… The BJP has to be removed from power at the Centre,' said Mamata, referring to the controversial land acquisition projects in Nandigram and Singur under the previous Left government in Bengal. After the Partition of India in August 1947, the newly-formed state of Pakistan was divided into two parts on either side of India – East and West Pakistan. The Bhasha Andolan has its roots in Bangladesh, when it was still known as East Pakistan. Soon afterwards, students and activists began a language movement in East Pakistan, seeking the recognition of Bengali as an official language. The Pakistani government declared Urdu as the sole national language, sparking widespread protests among the Bengali-speaking majority in East Pakistan in the late 1940s and early 1950s. The 'imposition' of Urdu was perceived as an attempt to undermine Bengali culture and identity, and politically marginalise those in East Pakistan. The movement peaked on February 21, 1952, when a peaceful demonstration was met with violent police action, resulting in numerous deaths. After years of unrest, the Pakistani government declared Bengali as an official language in 1956. The significance of the language movement extended beyond its immediate outcome. It is seen as a key moment in the assertion of Bengali cultural and national identity, which played a significant role in the subsequent movement for Bangladesh's independence from Pakistan in 1971. In Bangladesh, February 21 is now commemorated as 'Martyrs' Day' to honour those who were killed during the language movement. In 1999, the UNESCO recognised February 21 as the International Mother Language Day. After Independence, the Bengali-speaking Manbhum district remained part of Bihar whose government declared Hindi as its official language. This sparked an agitation in Manbhum to demand equal status for Bangla or Bengali language. In May 1948, a proposal floated in the Congress party's Manbhum unit to declare Bengali as the official language in the district was defeated by 43-55 votes. Unhappy with the outcome, the district Congress president and secretary, along with 35 other party members, resigned from the party. In June 1948, the Lok Sevak Sangha was founded in Manbhum to fight for Bangla rights and against the imposition of Hindi. This Bhasha Andolan was the first of its kind in India. The then Bihar government had restricted the use of Bengali in education in Manbhum, and went on to ban rallies demanding the recognition of Bangla, which set off fierce protests across the district in the early 1950s. In 1953, the Centre formed a States Reorganisation Commission. After holding hearings in Manbhum, the Commission, in its report submitted in October 1955, proposed the formation of a new Bengali majority district that would fall within West Bengal. So, in November 1956, the Purulia district – spanning 5,200 sq km and with a population of 11.7 lakh – was carved out of Manbhum and inducted in West Bengal. Noted actor and BJP leader Mithun Chakraborty launched a sharp attack at Mamata over her call for a language agitation. 'She wants to create controversy in everything… Nothing is going to happen… Bangla language will remain as it is. Mamata Banerjee has got no monopoly over it… We will put up a strong fight,' he said. Chakraborty alleged that the TMC was attempting to 'manufacture issues' ahead of the 2026 Assembly polls. 'Bengali-speaking people have not faced any kind of unnecessary harassment anywhere in the country. Actually, the TMC is running short of issues before the elections. So the CM is trying to create a false narrative and trying to instigate common people, which she has always done,' he added. State BJP president Samik Bhattacharya claimed that Mamata was more interested in 'protecting Bengali-speaking infiltrators from Bangladesh'. 'Bengali-speaking Indian Muslims in the border areas of West Bengal are losing jobs to Bangladeshi Muslims, who have entered the country illegally. The true Bengali-speaking people are leaving West Bengal in search of jobs, and at times, they are being mistaken for Bangladeshi Muslims. Who is responsible for this? Illegal Rohingyas have been given a place to live in West Bengal. Fake job cards and voter cards are being issued to them. The Election Commission is taking action and deleting such fake voters. But Mamata Banerjee is supporting them for her vote bank politics,' Bhattacharya alleged. Senior CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty also took a jibe at the CM over her proposed stir. 'By calling her fight against the harassment of Bengali-speaking people as 'Bhasha Andolan', Mamata Banerjee has reduced the importance of the actual Bhasha Andolan. Not every fight can be branded as a language movement,' he said. Atri Mitra is a Special Correspondent of The Indian Express with more than 20 years of experience in reporting from West Bengal, Bihar and the North-East. He has been covering administration and political news for more than ten years and has a keen interest in political development in West Bengal. Atri holds a Master degree in Economics from Rabindrabharati University and Bachelor's degree from Calcutta University. He is also an alumnus of St. Xavier's, Kolkata and Ramakrishna Mission Asrama, Narendrapur. He started his career with leading vernacular daily the Anandabazar Patrika, and worked there for more than fifteen years. He worked as Bihar correspondent for more than three years for Anandabazar Patrika. He covered the 2009 Lok Sabha election and 2010 assembly elections. He also worked with News18-Bangla and covered the Bihar Lok Sabha election in 2019. ... Read More
Indian Express
4 hours ago
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Today in Politics: PM Modi in Tamil Nadu to inaugurate projects, honour Chola king
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in Tamil Nadu for the second day of his two-day tour, during which he inaugurated and dedicated to the nation a series of projects worth Rs 4,800 crore. Most notably, on Sunday, Modi will be the chief guest at the grand finale of the Aadi Thiruvathirai festival celebrating the birth anniversary of the Chola king in Tiruchirappalli, and release a commemorative coin honouring Emperor Rajendra Chola. But the PM isn't the only leader to honour the Chola king. Already, DMK leader and Chief Minister M K Stalin has declared the emperor's birth anniversary as an official state celebration and announced several initiatives to commemorate his rule. However, at stake is more than ritual commemoration. This moment signals an attempt to reframe Indian historical memory, with Rajendra Chola's legacy leveraged through distinct ideological lenses: Stalin's Dravidian federalism and Modi's pan-India nationalism, as reported by Arun Janardhanan. In the lead-up to Aadi Thiruvathirai, the Tamil Nadu CM announced a Rs 19.2 crore redevelopment plan for a Chola-era reservoir: Rs 12 crore for bund strengthening, desilting of 38 km of canals, renovation of sluices, and irrigation support for seven villages. Another Rs 7.2 crore will be used for converting the area into a tourist destination, with walkways, parks, children's play areas, fencing, and CCTV surveillance. Additionally, a museum will be built near the Gangaikonda Cholapuram temple complex for Rs 22.1 crore to highlight the Chola empire's overseas trade networks, temple architecture, and cultural achievements, a continuation of the state's push to embed the Cholas into Tamil Nadu's cultural-political imagination. The PM visit also carries its symbolic weight. On Sunday, he will unveil a commemorative coin to mark the 1,000th anniversary of Rajendra Chola's Gangetic campaign, while musician Ilaiyaraaja is set to perform a 20-minute concert. An exhibition will showcase trophies and miniature sculptures from the Chola period. On Sunday, Trinamool Congress supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will launch a state-wide 'Bhasha Andolan (language agitation)' to protest the alleged harassment of Bengali-speaking people in BJP-ruled states. During the TMC's 'Shaheed Diwas (Martyrs' Day)' rally on July 21 – held to commemorate the killing of workers of the Bengal Youth Congress, then led by Mamata, in police firing on July 21, 1993 – the CM accused the BJP of allegedly unleashing 'linguistic terrorism' against Bengalis and called for a movement against the harassment of Bengali speaking people across India. 'Bangla bhashar upor sontras cholchhe (terror is being unleashed on the Bengali language),' she said. 'Over 1,000 people detained, sent to jails in BJP-ruled states, including Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. This is a conspiracy against the Bengali language. Whoever speaks Bengali is being detained in BJP-ruled states.' Announcing the Bhasha Andolan, Mamata said, 'From July 27, we will hit the streets in protest. Every Saturday and Sunday we will protest in Bengal. I urge our MPs to protest at the Mahatma Gandhi statue in Delhi. Intellectuals and sports personalities would also participate in the protest.' The BJP, however, has claimed that the TMC is attempting to 'manufacture issues' ahead of the 2026 Assembly polls. – With PTI inputs
