Kolkata, April 8 (IANS) The West Bengal unit of BJP, on Tuesday, approached a single judge bench of the Calcutta High Court, seeking permission to conduct a rally in Kolkata on April 12 on the occasion of Hanuman Jayanti.
In the petition filed at the single judge bench of Justice Tirthankar Ghosh, the state unit of BJP has claimed that although they had sought permission from Kolkata Police to conduct the rally sometime back no reply has surfaced so far.
As per BJP’s proposal, the rally has been scheduled on April 12 between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. at Red Road in central Kolkata.
The petition has been admitted and is likely to come up for a hearing on Wednesday.
In the recent past, some organizers had to approach the Calcutta High Court for permission to hold processions on the occasion of Ram Navami on April 6.
In fact, two Ram Navami processions in Kolkata- adjacent Howrah district were conducted on April 6 following the permission of the Calcutta High Court. The state unit of BJP had alleged that whenever the question is regarding the procession related to any Hindu religious festival, the police either deny or remain silent on permission.
“Be it any programme on a Hindu religious festival or any public political event by opposition parties, the only way left is to approach the Calcutta High Court for permission after police deny the same each time,” said a state committee member of the BJP.
On April 6, several pockets in West Bengal were wrapped under blanket security cover in view of the processions on the occasion of Ram Navami. However, the BJP leaders like former national vice-president of the party, Dilip Ghosh and the Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, ridiculed the elaborate police arrangements.
Both accused the state government of creating unnecessary panic among people by making elaborate security arrangements as well as imposing restrictions on the Ram Navami processions. They said that such security arrangements and restrictions are made only for Hindu religious festival events.
–IANS
src/dpb
