The Calcutta High Court on Thursday appointed two special officers who will ensure that law and order is maintained during a Bharatiya Janata Party-organised bike rally in West Bengal on January 12, ANI reported. The event is being conducted to mark the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda.
Yuva Morcha, the BJP’s youth wing, has proposed to hold a week-long “Protirodh Sankalp Abhiyan” from East Midnapore to Cooch Behar district in North Bengal covering a distance of 1,600 kilometres, India Today reported.
The West Bengal Police had earlier denied permission to the BJP to hold the bike rally as it would coincide with the Gangasagar Mela – when lakhs of devotees visit Sagar Island in South 24 Parganas district on the occasion of Makar Sankranti. However, on Wednesday, the High Court struck down the government’s order and allowed the party’s youth wing to go ahead with the rally.
Later on Wednesday, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had warned the BJP Yuva Morcha of being responsible for any untoward incident that may take place during the Gangasagar Mela.
“If there is any trouble at Gangasagar, the annual Hindu pilgrimage in Bengal, you will be responsible, you who are doing all kinds of conspiracies,” Banerjee said without naming the BJP, according to NDTV. “Thirty lakh people have come for the event, but they want to indulge in mischief and conspiracies against Bengal.”
The special officers will lead the BJP rally and will intervene if there is any violation of law. They will be paid Rs 30,000 per day for the job and the expenses will be borne by BJP Yuva Morcha, the High Court ruled.
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