Electrocution deaths: Calcutta HC allows Suvendu Adhikari to conduct protest rally on Durga Puja Carnival day

Kolkata, Oct 3 (IANS) A vacation bench of the Calcutta High Court, on Friday allowed the leader of the opposition in West Bengal assembly Suvendu Adhikari, to conduct a protest rally at central Kolkata on October 5 on the issue of electrocution deaths when the city was lashed by a heavy rainfall.

The deaths happened after the individuals came in touch with live electricity wires that were submerged in the rainwater. An organisation close to the BJP decided to conduct the protest rally on October 5 by Suvendu Adhikari.

However, the Kolkata Police denied permission for the same on the grounds that on the same evening, there will be a mega Durga Puja carnival at Red Road also in central Kolkata to be participated in by 113 award-winning community Durga Puja committees in the city. The event will also be attended by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

The organization thereafter approached the Calcutta High Court for permission.

The matter came up for hearing on Friday afternoon at Calcutta High Court’s vacation bench of Justice Biswaroop Chowdhury, and at the end of the hearing, the court granted conditional approval to the organization to conduct the protest rally on October 5.

Justice Chowdhury observed that since the electrocution deaths of so many persons were highly unfortunate, the permission for the rally would be granted.

However, the vacation bench fixed the timing of the protest rally between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m., considering that there will be a carnival on the same evening and that too near the venue of the protest rally,

The vacation bench also said that the number of participants in the rally should not exceed 3,000. The said organisation, in its petition, said that the rally would have 5,000 participants.

--IANS

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