Kolkata: The Kolkata High Court, on Tuesday, quashed a police order and granted permission to the BJP to hold protests near the iconic statue of Mahatma Gandhi in central Kolkata over the unrest in Sandeshkhali. Sandeshkhali has recently hit headlines after several women held protests accusing Trinamool Congress leader Shahjahan Sheikh and his aides of land grab and sexual harassment.
The High Court’s intervention came in response to a petition filed by the West Bengal BJP secretary seeking permission to hold the protest. The order was issued by Justice Kaushik Chanda, allowing the protest to take place between 10 am and 6 pm with a maximum of 150 people.
The Bengal BJP leadership submitted an application to the police seeking permission to hold a protest from February 26 to 28. However, the police denied permission, citing concerns that the BJP workers’ protest would pose challenges for the Bengal government. The police pointed out that higher secondary exams were underway during the proposed protest period.
But the BJP argued in court that there are no schools or colleges in the area where the protest is planned, thus asserting that students will not be affected. In response, the Kolkata High Court, invoking the fundamental right to peaceful assembly, overturned the police order and permitted the demonstration under certain conditions. The protest aims to condemn the government’s inaction regarding the failure to arrest the Trinamool goons accused of sexual assault on the women of Sandeshkhali.
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