Suvendu Adhikari’s BJP Seeks Alternative Venue for Sit-In Demonstration in Bengal

Suvendu Adhikari’s BJP Seeks Alternative Venue for Sit-In Demonstration in Bengal

Kolkata, June 22, 2024 — Suvendu Adhikari, a prominent BJP leader, faced a setback in his planned sit-in demonstration against alleged post-poll violence in West Bengal. His lawyer informed the Calcutta High Court on Friday that the BJP state unit was willing to conduct the protest in front of either the state secretariat Nabanna or the state police headquarters Bhabani Bhavan, instead of the gubernatorial residence Raj Bhavan.

Two days prior, Justice Amrita Sinha of the high court had disallowed the BJP from holding the event in front of Raj Bhavan due to prohibitive orders under Section 144 of the CrPC. She asked Adhikari to propose alternative locations for his proposed programme with the “victims” of post-poll violence in Bengal.

Advocate Billwadal Bhattacharyya, representing Adhikari, conveyed the party’s willingness to consider Nabanna or Bhabani Bhavan as alternative sites. Justice Sinha scheduled a hearing for the plea next Tuesday.

The BJP had argued that the ruling Trinamool Congress had previously held a sit-in demonstration at the same location last October, and the police should not discriminate between the two political parties. However, Justice Sinha emphasized that rallies and sit-in demonstrations should not occur in prohibited areas. She directed the state to file an affidavit explaining the grounds for allowing Trinamool’s programme at Raj Bhavan.

In a separate development, Justice Sinha conditionally permitted Vivek Jyoti, an NGO, to hold a rally in the city on Saturday to protest the “ongoing violence” in Bengal since the Lok Sabha polls. The rally, starting from Wellington Square and ending on Rani Rashmoni Avenue at Esplanade, would involve no more than 300 participants. The judge emphasized that the rally should not provoke law and order problems.

The lawyer representing Vivek Jyoti stated that the objective of the rally was to bring peace to Bengal, emphasizing that politicians and their followers should take responsibility for maintaining peace. Calcutta police had initially declined permission for the rally.

Meanwhile, Adhikari filed another petition alleging that fake FIRs were lodged against 47 workers of his party in Nandigram over the past 15 days. He demanded that these FIRs be quashed, claiming unnecessary harassment by the police. This case is scheduled for a hearing next Wednesday.

Additionally, the high court directed the state government to facilitate the return of people displaced due to alleged post-poll violence. Police were instructed to maintain strict vigilance in areas where violence had allegedly erupted.

The directive came from a division bench led by Justice Harish Tandon, which has been hearing petitions related to violence allegations since the general election. Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharyya also serves on the division bench.