Will continue protests till RG Kar victim gets justice: 'Nabanna Abhijan' convener

Kolkata: Sayan Lahiri, one of the conveners of the Nabanna Abhijan (march to Bengal secretariat), on Saturday afternoon said that he would continue to protest over the R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital rape and murder despite all odds and hurdles that come in his way.

"The protest against the rape and murder issue will continue despite all odds and hurdles coming in my way. Similarly, our movements in demand for the release of all arrests in connection with Nabanna Abhijan will also continue," Lahiri, who was arrested earlier this week from outside the office of a vernacular news channel on charges of instigating violence through Nabanna Abhijan, said after his release from jail on Saturday afternoon.

He also said that some elements with vested interest "got mixed" with the peaceful protesters and pelted stones at police with the sole intention of maligning our peaceful movement.

"The police should identify those who pelted stones and reveal their identities. Their only intention was to disrupt and malign the peaceful protests," he said.

He also thanked the Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari for lending support to him in these "moments of struggle".

The Calcutta High Court's single-judge bench of Justice Amrita Sinha ordered his release by 2 p.m. on Saturday.

While directing the release of Lahiri, Justice Sinha also directed that no coercive action would be taken against him in the matter.

She also made it clear that this bar of coercive action against Lahiri is not just in connection with Nabanna Abhijan, but also about any other police case against him.

On Friday, Justice Sinha also rejected the argument of the state government counsel to identify Lahiri as an "influential".

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) also issued a notice to Kolkata Police on Friday seeking an explanation on the alleged police excesses against the protesters who took part in the Nabanna Abhijan protest.

Parts of Kolkata and Howrah turned into virtual battlefields following clashes between the police and the protesters on August 27.