KOLKATA: Separated by team loyalty but united by a cause. Scores of Mohun Bagan and East Bengal fans were detained Sunday evening as they protested outside Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata, demanding justice for the postgraduate resident doctor who was found raped and murdered at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9.
Despite their traditional rivalry, supporters from Kolkata’s three major football clubs – Mohun Bagan, East Bengal, and Mohammedan Sporting – joined forces in the protest.Heavy rain failed to deter the demonstrators, who shouted slogans like ‘One chant for both galleries, justice for RG Kar’.
The Mohun Bagan-East Bengal Durand Cup derby, scheduled for Sunday, was cancelled less than 24 hours before kickoff due to police concerns about potential unrest. However, thousands of fans still gathered outside the stadium, united in their call for justice.
The protest, which lasted for about five hours, saw more than 40 people initially detained by police as they allegedly tried to breach barricades set up 200m from the stadium. Police resorted to a lathi charge and forcibly detained protesters. A police officer said the detained protesters were released at a distance.
Despite their traditional rivalry, supporters from Kolkata’s three major football clubs – Mohun Bagan, East Bengal, and Mohammedan Sporting – joined forces in the protest.Heavy rain failed to deter the demonstrators, who shouted slogans like ‘One chant for both galleries, justice for RG Kar’.
The Mohun Bagan-East Bengal Durand Cup derby, scheduled for Sunday, was cancelled less than 24 hours before kickoff due to police concerns about potential unrest. However, thousands of fans still gathered outside the stadium, united in their call for justice.
The protest, which lasted for about five hours, saw more than 40 people initially detained by police as they allegedly tried to breach barricades set up 200m from the stadium. Police resorted to a lathi charge and forcibly detained protesters. A police officer said the detained protesters were released at a distance.