In its annual Martyrs’ Day observance on Tuesday (July 21, 2026), the Congress party demanded action against the former home secretary, Manish Gupta, for the 1993 police firing incident, who later became a minister in the Trinamool Congress government in 2011.
The development comes only a day after the Chief Minister, Suvendu Adhikari, tabled the fact-finding report of the incident prepared by an inquiry commission led by former Justice Sushanta Kumar Chatterjee. CM stated that the former CM, Mamata Banerjee, gained political benefit out of the incident but did not publish the report despite receiving it in 2014, only to save Mr. Gupta.
“I recorded my statement in the commission. The Chatterjee commission had a clear observation that the Home Department under the then-Left government was responsible for the firing incident. But Mamata Banerjee tried to save him because he was made a minister. We must not forget what Mr. Adhikari had been doing then. However, the new government has tabled the report. Ther should be a proper investigation and action against them,” said Pradeep Bhattacharya, the former West Bengal State Congress President.
The party also set up a dummy of Mr. Gupta and placed it in a witness box on the stage. Meanwhile, the workers of the youth wing of the party were also seen carrying a badge demanding action against Mr. Gupta.
The Shahid Minar ground, where the Congress’s rally took place, was also decorated with several archival photos on the firing incident and recurring developments on the following days.
Two of the photos also showcased Ms. Banerjee, who was then the president of the West Bengal Youth Congress. One of the photoes showed injured Ms. Banerjee after the clash near the Tea Board office on Brabourne Road (B.T.M. Sarani) during the historic “Mahakaran Abhijan” (Writers’ Building March). Another was with the former Defence Minister George Fernandes.
Trading barbs at the Trinamool Congress, the AICC General Secretary Deepa Das Munshi, said that the Congress, on Tuesday (July 22), has finally been able to organise the Shahid Diwas rally in its actual sense, as the Trinamool Congress only held this rally annually to show their political strength.
Congress leaders also claimed that around 14 workers were hospitalised on Tuesday (July 22) after being brutally thrashed by the police. “BJP is no different. They are destroying democracy. At least 14 of our workers are admitted to different hospitals in Kolkata, Bardhaman, Domjur, Nadia, Bujbuj. Many of the workers also came with minor injuries. The BJP workers beat them up while they were heading towards the rally,” said former leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and five-time Congress MP, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury.
The party has also vowed to strengthen their fight against the BJP and bring a change in the central power in 2029. Extending their support to the massive students’ movement in Delhi led by Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), Congress maintained the BJP’s real face has been exposed.
“This huge mobilisation of the young people across the country threatened the BJP. They didn’t even care to reach out to Sonam Wangchuk when he was on hunger strike for over 21 days. But the Congress communicated with Anna Hazare within 96 hours of his strike. We brought laws and regulations as per his demand. We knew that the BJP is backing him,” said Mr. Chowdhury.
Congress has also declared that they will hold rallies across the districts from August 8 to August 14 over various issues including violence on the protesting students in New Delhi, and the betrayal of Shyamaprasad Mookerjee.
“Bengal is going through a tough time. BJP is trying to demolish its refined ‘bhadralok’ culture. It is in BJP’s DNA to kill the people, burn others’ houses, and defect the people from other parties by fearing them. If TMC was a party of thieves, BJP is a party of dacoits. I urge the people of Bengal to come back to their old house, Congress. People of Bengal do not need a change but a come back,” Imraan Pratapgarhi, Rajya Sabha MP from Maharashtra.
Published – July 22, 2026 04:48 am IST
