Former Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee speaks during the July 21 Martyrs’ Day Rally, in Kolkata on Tuesday (July 21, 2026).
| Photo Credit: ANI
Kolkata
The Kolkata Police on Thursday (July 23, 2026) registered an FIR over former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s Martyrs’ Day rally, alleging violation of a Calcutta High Court order. The order had stipulated that the rally could block only one side of the road while traffic was allowed to move on the other. However, on Tuesday (July 21, 2026), both carriageways near the Birla Planetarium remained blocked during the programme.
The police filed a suo motu complaint against the Trinamool Congress faction led by Ms. Banerjee at Hastings Police Station. Cathedral Road, outside the Birla Planetarium in the heart of the city, remained blocked on both sides after the programme began. This led to traffic disruptions, with vehicles on both sides of the road held up for hours.
Traffic police diverted vehicles to ensure smooth movement in other parts of the city. According to sources, the rally also exceeded the permitted attendance limit.
In a related development, Hastings Police Station also registered another suo motu FIR over the alleged vandalism at the rally stage on the night of July 20, ahead of the event.
Court defers Abhishek Banerjee’s plea
The Calcutta High Court on Thursday also deferred the plea of Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, who has sought protection from coercive action in connection with eight FIRs.
Justice Saugata Bhattacharyya told Mr. Banerjee’s counsel that all eight FIRs could not be clubbed together and would be considered on a case-by-case basis. The matter has been adjourned till July 30. However, the court asked to be informed if any coercive action is taken, but did not grant him protection.
Earlier, on May 21, the same court granted protection to Mr. Banerjee in a case in which an FIR was registered against him over alleged inflammatory remarks made during the West Bengal Assembly election. The protection remains in force until July 31. However, the court directed him to cooperate with the investigation and observed that the protection could be withdrawn if he failed to do so.
However, similar protection has not been extended in the other cases. Since the Trinamool Congress lost to the Bharatiya Janata Party on May 4, several cases have been registered against Mr. Banerjee at different police stations across the State.
Published – July 23, 2026 07:34 pm IST
