21st. JULY SHAHEED DIBAS
21st. JULY SHAHEED DIBAS
SARASIJ MAJUMDER
The Core Conflict: "Scientific Rigging".
During the early 1990s, the Left Front government, led by the Communist Party
of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)], had been ruling West Bengal for over a decade. The
opposition parties, particularly the Youth Congress led by state president
Mamata Banerjee, accused the Left Front of rampant electoral manipulation,
which they termed "scientific rigging". To counter this, Mamata
Banerjee launched an agitation demanding that Photo Voter Identity Cards be
made the sole mandatory document for voting to ensure fair and transparent
elections.
Mamata Banerjee was serving as the Minister of State
for Human Resource Development in the P. V. Narasimha Rao government. She lost
power within the Indian National
Congress after being defeated by Somen Mitra in the 1992 election for the
party's youth wing president in West Bengal. Following the loss, Banerjee
blamed the defeat due to internal
conspiracy by the Somen Mitra faction and the Congress high command. Seeking to
regain political momentum, she called for a march to the Writers' Building, the
administrative headquarters of the West Bengal government, with the stated
purpose of demanding the mandatory introduction of photo voter ID cards for
subsequent election.
The Event: Writers' Chalo Abhiyan:
On July 21, 1993, thousands of Congress workers
arrived from nearby districts across the state, blockading major thoroughfares
in central Kolkata, including Brabourne Road, Mayo Road, and Bowbazar.
Mobilized Youth Congress people then started for the Writers' Chalo Abhiyan (March towards the
Writers' Building), which was then the State Secretariat housing the Chief
Minister’s office.
To protect the Secretariat, the Kolkata Police
established massive cordons.
Inflammatory speeches by Congress youth leaders, Mamata,
including Mrigen Banerjee and Satya Bapuli incited the crowd, urging them to
break through police cordons and commanding, "We're here to fight, not to
act."
THE CLASH:
Vandalism and Arson broke out. Shops were closed, and
in the chaos, Sergeant D.K. Ghosal of the Taltala Police Station was shot, S.I.
Kalachand Samaddar's head was cracked open with an iron rod, and Constable
Manas Nandi lost six teeth after being hit by a brick. PTI journalist was
severely injured.
From the attackers on Mayo Road, the police recovered
two loaded pipe guns, a country-made revolver, 17 bombs, and six swords.
Defying Section 144, the crowd even broke into the Press Club. Looting took
place in New Market, club tents were attacked, and the SSKM hospital was also
targeted.
Three buses were burned, 35 cars were vandalized, and
215 police officers were injured.
To control the violence, the police initially used
tear gas and baton charges. When this failed to disperse the crowd, they fired
several rounds into the air as a warning. However, around 1:45 PM, police
opened fire on the rioters, resulting in the deaths of 13 Protesting party
workers.
Thus, the incident started by Mamata, but got out of
her hands, took a tragic turn.
COWARDLY ESCAPE:
Mamata
Banerjee, who had incited the protest, sought refuge in a police vehicle during
the firing. Other
prominent Congress leaders, including Shovan Deb Chattopadhyay and Sadhan
Pande, also sought shelter in the Police Van or ran and got in their cars.
The 1993 Kolkata Police Firing on July 21st remains
one of the most polarizing and defining political events in the modern political
history of West Bengal. It served as the launchpad for Mamata Banerjee's
independent political career and ultimate rise to power.
Opposing Perspectives on the Violence: The narrative
around what triggered the Police Firing remains split along political lines:
The Left Front's Stand: The ruling administration and
police officials argued that the Direct Firing was a last resort to preserve
law and order. They reported that segments of the crowd had turned into an
aggressive mob, engaging in arson, destroying public buses, throwing bricks,
and assaulting several on-duty police officers with weapons.
The Opposition's Stand: Mamata Banerjee and her
supporters maintained that the rally was entirely peaceful and that the police
action was an unprovoked, brutal, and state-sponsored act of political
suppression.
The Political Aftermath and Legacy: The long-term
geopolitical and judicial consequences of that afternoon transformed West
Bengal's political landscape.
Birth of the Trinamool Congress (TMC): The incident
deeply fractured the internal dynamics of the Bengal Congress. Believing the
party's central leadership was too passive against the Left Front, Mamata
Banerjee broke away in 1997 to form the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC).
Most of the youth leaders from the 1993 rally followed her.
The Judicial Commission: After defeating the Left
Front in 2011, the newly formed TMC government appointed a judicial inquiry
commission led by retired High Court Justice Sushanta Chatterjee. In its
December 2014 report, the commission heavily condemned the police action,
calling the firing "unprovoked and unconstitutional" and ordering
financial compensation for the victims' families.
Annual Commemoration (Shahid Dibas): Every year on
July 21st, the TMC hosts its largest annual political rally at Esplanade in
Kolkata. The event serves as a memorial for the 13 deceased workers and a
platform for Mamata Banerjee to set her party's strategic roadmap and political
agenda.
WHAT EMERGE:
1.
It was a dissident faction of ‘YOUTH
CONGRESS’ under Mamata Banerjee and her loyalists are responsible for that
avoidable incident, loss of lives, destruction of property, and injury to
Police Personnels.
2.
The Judicial Commission prepared a ‘Dictated
Report’.
3.
Hence I propose that this ‘Observation
of 21st JULY be stopped.
4.
As it is—There are three (?) TMC with
several suffixes.
5.
Rather I propose that an impartial enquiry be undertaken, and if
those Congress Leaders involved, are found guilty of inciting MOB—they shall be
punished.
REFERENCES:
1.0 Collected and verified from Public Domains that covered the incident.
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