Kolkata: Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, on Saturday, wrote a letter to the Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, accusing the cops of the Kolkata Police of making an unlawful entry in Sealdah Railway Station in central Kolkata and take action against the “untainted” or “genuine” teachers assembly there stage a “march to state secretariat” rally to protest against their job-loss following a Supreme Court order last month.
On Friday, the teachers who lost jobs assembled at the Sealdah station for an unconventional demonstration wherein the participants in the protests took off their shirts and then started a protest rally towards the state secretariat of Nabanna located at Mandirtala.
However, a huge contingent of Kolkata police took control of Sealdah station much before the protesting teachers started assembling there and restricted the protesters within the station premises.
Some of the protesting teachers who managed to slip out of the police cordon were immediately arrested by the cops and dragged inside the police vans waiting within and outside the station premises.
According to the leader of the opposition, the Kolkata Police personnel not only entered the station in an unauthorized manner but had also taken uncalled-for action against the teachers who had simply assembled there and not protesting or agitating.
“I respectfully urge you to conduct a thorough inquiry into the unauthorised entry of Kolkata Police into Sealdah Railway Station on May 30, 2025, and hold accountable those responsible… I further request you to issue clear directives for enforcing strict guidelines to ensure that the Kolkata Police and West Bengal Police do not enter railway premises without proper authorization, respecting the jurisdictional framework established by the Railway Police Act, 1861, so that any future violations could be prevented,” read the letter from Adhikari to Vaishnaw, a copy of which is available with IANS.
Adhikari also pointed out that this was not the first time that such overreaches by Kolkata Police and West Bengal Police within the different railway stations in West Bengal happened.
“Despite raising this with the Sealdah DRM, no action was taken. So, I have urged the Railway Minister to intervene and ensure such violations by Kolkata Police & West Bengal Police stop immediately.”
According to him, the rights of passengers and the sanctity of railway premises must be protected and it could not be allowed to be turned into a platform where Kolkata Police and West Bengal Police trample upon democratic freedom at will.
(IANS)
