Kolkata, 6 August (H.S.)– A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed in the Calcutta High Court on Wednesday seeking to stop the “Nabanna Abhiyan” — a protest march to the state secretariat — planned by the parents of the junior woman doctor who was raped and murdered at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital last year. The march is scheduled for August 9, marking the first anniversary of the crime.

The petition was filed by a resident of Howrah district, where the state secretariat is located, before a division bench comprising Justice Sujoy Paul and Justice Smita Das De. The petitioner argued that such marches cause severe inconvenience to the people of Howrah, particularly residents of the Mandirtala area near the secretariat, disrupting daily movement, business activities, and normal life.

This is the second time the matter has reached the High Court. Earlier, a group of traders from Howrah had filed a similar plea before a single bench, citing the same reasons. In both cases, petitioners have urged the court to direct authorities to ensure public inconvenience is minimised during such protests. The division bench has admitted the PIL, with a hearing likely on Thursday.

The August 9 march — which falls on the day the victim’s body was found in the hospital’s seminar hall last year — has drawn widespread public attention. The parents have invited all political parties to join but have barred them from carrying party flags, explicitly excluding the Trinamool Congress from participation.

Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, who first proposed the march along with the victim’s parents, has extended full support to the movement. On Wednesday, he accused the Mamata Banerjee government of trying to stop the protest by using the police administration.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh