New Delhi: Sunday’s Mohun Bagan vs East Bengal Durand Cup derby match was abandoned citing security concerns but it couldn’t prevent fans of the two mega clubs to protest in unison against the alleged rape and murder of a trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
Police said the match had to be cancelled after a meeting on Saturday acting on specific intelligence that some elements and organisations were keen create trouble at the Salt Lake stadium, venue of the Kolkata Derby.
A curfew was imposed in and around the Salt Lake stadium from 4 pm to midnight of Sunday to prevent any disruption of peace though Bagan and EB fans thronged the area and shouted slogans like, “We want justice” for the family of the victim.
The All Indian Football Federation president Kalyan Chaubey also joined in and demanded football matches be held at the Salt Lake stadium. Flanked by wife, Mohun Bagan captain Subhasish Bose also showed solidarity with the protesters.
Actor Usashi Chakraborty and theatre personality Sourav Palodhi were also noticed to be among the dissenting crowd.
#WATCH | Kolkata, West Bengal: Supporters of East Bengal and Mohun Bagan protest over the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital rape-murder case incident. pic.twitter.com/l1387VOXKw
— ANI (@ANI) August 18, 2024
As fans of Bagan, EB and Mohammedan Sporting the third big club of Indian football, joined in, a huge battery of police force was kept on vigil in and around the stadium.
When the protests disrupted the traffic flow of the busy EMP Bypass road that connects the city with its airport, police took measured to chase away the agitators, even detaining some of them.
But the protesters were determined to regroup and continued to raise slogans adamantly, demanding swift justice and tried to block those vans which were deployed to whisk away those who were detained.
On August 9, a postgraduate trainee doctor was allegedly raped and murdered while on night duty at the RG Kar hospital tat has sparked outrage throughout the country, leading to crackdown measures from the Bengal government.
VIDEO | Kolkata doctor rape-murder case: Supporters of East Bengal and Mohun Bagan protest near Salt Lake stadium in Kolkata.
Earlier today, police said that Derby match between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan was cancelled apprehending attempts by some elements and organisations… pic.twitter.com/Vq1pJ38rUQ
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 18, 2024
A curfew was imposed in and around the Salt Lake stadium from 4 pm to midnight of Sunday to prevent any disruption of peace though Bagan and EB fans thronged the area and shouted slogans like, “We want justice” for the family of the victim. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
