Tag: martyrs day

There was a slice of mini Bangla at the Shahid Mancha of 21 July rally at Dharmatala. The stage hosted stalwarts from various fields of arts, sports and culture. People from all walks of life came to the rally in huge numbers to pay tributes to the martyrs of 21 July 1993 police firing.

While celebrity singers like,Indranil Sen and Nachiketa Chakraborty enthralled the crowd with theirpatriotic folk songs, the newly elected MP from Ghatal, Deepak Adhikari (Dev)drew applauds from the young generation for his short inspiring speech.

The rally saw faces like Bhaichung Bhutia,Mehtab Hussain, Bidesh Bose, Lakshmiratan Shukla, Jhulan Goswami, Mantu Ghosh,Manas Bhattacharyya and Dibyendu Baruah. Theatre activist and MP Arpita Ghoshalong with State tourism Minister Bratya Bose was present on the occasion.

Authors, poets and artists – MahashwetaDebi, Subodh Sarkar, Arindam Sil, Amiya Chowdhury, Debesh Chattapadhyay, JogenChowdhury, Suvaprasanna – were present on the occasion. Several actors ofBengali film and television fraternity were also present.

The Trinamool Chairperson Ms MamataBanerjee spoke to each of them individually. She said she will bring back the goldenera of Bengal.

Among the audience, the ProgressiveDoctor`s Association set up a camp near the rally site to provide freetreatment to all and provided free medicines when required.

The Esplanade East area saw a colourfuldance performance from the Tusu dancers, who came all the way from Ranibandh inBankura to attend the rally. Performance by Ronpa dancers of Bankura wasanother sight to watch out for. Even tribal dancers and musicians from Jangalmahal won the hearts of the people.

 

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The beats of Dhamsa Madol from Purulia

 

Discipline is the pillar of Trinamool

 

Supporters from Jangalmahal

 

Supporters of the tribal community 

Women – one of the main pillars of Trinamool

 

Supporters from the newly created district of Alipurduar

Various musical instruments of Bengal also made a presence

The cultural diversity of Bengal

 

Tribal musical instruments at the 21se July Rally

Supporters from Darjeeling district

Kolkata has geared up for Tuesday’s massive mobilisation of Trinamool Congress supporters in and around the Esplanade-CR Avenue crossing on the occasion of “Martyrs’ Day” to commemorate the death of 13 Youth Congress supporters who had fallen to police bullets on 21 July in 1993.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who supervised the arrangements at the venue on Monday evening, sought an “apology in advance’’ from the people who will be greatly incovenienced as traffic in all the city’s arterial roads will be thrown out of gear.

“We would have shifted the venue to the Brigade Parade Ground though the huge ground would be too small to accommodate the mammoth crowd that would turn up. But, we have to stick to the spot where the killings took place. We don’t take out processions every now and then unlike many political parties. But, only on 21 July every year we all gather here to pay homage to our martyrs. I request the people to bear with us only for one day,” Banerjee told the media.

Without naming any political party, she said : “One political party leader, who has hardly any supporter, often blocks the road with a handful of demonstrators. But we never do that.’

Trinamool supporters coming from the Shyamabazar five-point crossing would take Central Avenue to reach the venue and those coming from Howrah and Sealdah stations will move along Brabourne Road and SN Banerjee Road, respectively, to reach Esplanade. A large number of party activists will also arrive from Salt Lake via Beliaghata.

Lakhs and thousands of supporters have arrived from across districts to listen to Mamata Banerjee who will give directions for the future from the dais today.

The 21 July Martyrs’ Day rally is organised by All India Trinamool Congress in remembrance of 13 people shot dead by West Bengal Police in Kolkata during a protest movement led by Ms Mamata Banerjee on 21 July, 1993.

Ms Banerjee had organised Writers’ Chalo Abhiyan (March towards Writers’ Building) demanding that the voters’ identity card be made the only valid document to verify voters in order to put a stop to rampant ‘scientific rigging’.

Bloody history

The party workers gathered at five different points across the city on that fateful day. They began marching towards their destination along Brabourne Road and were stopped by a large contingent of police officials near the Tea Board office, barely few minutes away from the Writers’ Building. The police force started beating up the crowd mercilessly in order to drive them away from the vicinity of Writers’ Building.

The youth activists who were peacefully rallying refused to stop and walked ahead. Many rounds of teargas shells were fired but the supporters kept moving forward. Despite Ms Banerjee’s efforts to establish peace, the police went berserk in a spate of revenge and did not even spare her.

The place transformed into a battle zone. People started running across Curzon Park. The police opened fire, killing 13 supporters and leaving hundreds severely injured. Since then, an annual rally is held on this day every year, dedicated to the memory of these 13 martyrs.

Remembering martyrs

On the political significance of this day, the Trinamool Congress Chairperson Ms Mamata Banerjee writes in her book ‘My Unforgettable Memories’:

“It is the day when we remember and offer our respect to the hundreds of people who are fighting death every day, whose lives are a living death, who have lost life and limb in this struggle. For us, it is a day of sorrow and shame.”

“Ever since 1993, every year July 21 brings back excruciating pain and agony to our memory, of the barbaric act of violence and brutal firing meted out by the previous Left Front government,” recalls the Trinamool Chairperson.

“The voice of democratic demand raised in a peaceful procession was stifled with bullets and violence… Every year, 21st July is dedicated to ‘Shahid family’ (martyrs family) belonging to different democratic movements,” the Trinamool Congress Chairperson said.

“Let us bow our heads down, pay obeisance and remember their invaluable sacrifice and also take a pledge to rededicate ourselves to continue to fight for the cause of ‘Maa Mati Manush’ and build a harmonious, peaceful and prosperous Bengal,” she said.

From the average Trinamool flag-bearers reaching Sealdah and Kolkata railway stations and heading for their makeshift accommodation at Salt Lake stadium, the enthusiasm is palpable in every party worker.

With only a few hours to go for the Martyrs’ Day rally at Dharmatala, supporters are coming to Kolkata from across the State. Makeshift gates have been installed at nearly 300 intersections across the city while hoardings of the Chairperson urging people to come to Dharmatala on 21 July have filled the city. The construction of the stage at the venue is also getting final touches, despite the heavy downpour.

“This is going to be the last July 21 rally before the 2016 assembly polls. In fact, all MPs are skipping the opening Parliament monsoon session to be present there. Everyone’s keen to know the party supremo’s direction to the leaders and supporters. It’s going to set the stage for the assembly polls,“ said a senior Lok Sabha MP.Therefore, LED screens are not only coming up at Jyoti cinema hall and Y-channel atop mobile vans, they can also be seen near the Grand Hotel, Chandni Chowk Metro station, Dorina Crossing and Park Street.

For the first time, according to MLA Nirmal Maji, a six-bedded fully equipped mobile hospital will be stationed at the Metro Channel. Over 200 doctors and 300 Ayurveda, unani and homeopathic practitioners will also be kept as standby.