Anger, politics and rare unity: Cancelled Kolkata derby sparks massive debate amid rape and murder protests

The cancellation of a football match between two of Kolkata's fiercest rivals amid protests over the gruesome rape and murder of a doctor at a government hospital has sparked a new political controversy and brought deeply polarized supporters together in a rare form of unity – albeit one that was fleeting and largely confined to fan pages on social media.

While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said the much-anticipated match was cancelled over fears of mass protests, a leader of the state's ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) said the cancellation would send the wrong message. Meanwhile, some fan accounts on Sunday spoke of unity between fans of the two teams, whose supporters are often involved in brawls and were involved in an ugly stadium battle in 1980 that left 16 people dead.

On Sunday, East Bengal and Mohun Bagan, two of India's oldest football clubs with gleaming trophy cabinets, were set to renew their rivalry at the Salt Lake Stadium in Bidhannagar on the outskirts of the city. It could be their first meeting this season. The “Kolkata Derby”, as the clash is famously known, is over 100 years old – and although India is above 100 in the FIFA rankings, the legends of the derby have found their way into the Western media.

No wonder the anticipation was so high. And this time, the demand for justice for a 31-year-old doctor-in-training who was raped and murdered in Kolkata's main RG Kar Medical College and Hospital drowned out the shrill debates about supremacy and vitriolic abuse that usually fill Facebook fan pages. Some of the pages were filled with calls for unity and ideas for banners demanding justice for the medical student. But on Saturday evening (August 17), the bad news came: the authorities had cancelled the derby because the police were unable to provide the required “security cover”.

Police release audio clips of conversations about “gas, acid bombs” and “weapons possession”

In light of the criticism, police said on Sunday afternoon that the match had been called off after receiving “intelligence information” that there would be “violence” at the venue. “We have concrete information that some people will also come outside the stadium today to create trouble. Through the media, I would like to request all of you not to come today,” Bidhannagar police said during a press conference.

Police said Section 163 (power to issue orders in urgent cases of nuisance or apprehension of danger) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) came into force outside the stadium where the match was to be played. They also released two audio clips – in one clip, an unidentified voice is heard talking about “gas bombs” and “acid bombs” being prepared “by both sides”. “The other side will have gas bombs, so we will carry acid bombs… we will come from Ultadanga (a place 15 minutes from the stadium)…” the voice is heard saying.

The other audio clip is a call to “take up arms” to fight back against police “arrogance.” “If all boys and girls take up arms, all this arrogance from the police will end. They will use their batons, we will use our weapons… we will go out with our weapons… we must not be afraid,” the voice can be heard saying in the clip.

But the politics had already begun.

Senior BJP politician Amit Malviya, whose party has escalated attacks on Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's government and called for its ouster, claimed the move “speaks volumes about the state of law and order in West Bengal…”

“In an unprecedented move, Mamata Banerjee's police have cancelled the most awaited football match in Kolkata, the East Bengal-Mohun Bagan derby scheduled for August 18. The tickets were all sold out. THE REASON given was that security could not be ensured for the match,” said Amit Malviya, head of BJP's IT department, in a long post on X.

He added, “…the REAL REASON is: Supporters of both East Bengal and Mohun Bagan were going to carry placards and posters demanding justice for RG Kar MCH rape and murder victim and demanding Mamata Banerjee's resignation. The match was cancelled fearing this kind of mass protest.”

Amid continued attacks from the BJP, the TMC supported the Kolkata Police's initial investigation into the RG Kar incident, denied any cover-up and accused its political rivals of stirring up trouble and politicising the crime that had sparked nationwide protests, including from the influential medical fraternity. The Chief Minister herself blamed the BJP and the Left for vandalism at the RG Kar hospital during a midnight solidarity demonstration.

Sukanta Majumdar, Union minister and BJP chief in Bengal, accused the state government of “failing on all fronts”. “Is Kolkata Police so incompetent that they cannot even ensure the security of sportspeople and football matches? @KolkataPolice has cancelled the derby between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan, saying they are unable to provide security,” he posted on X.

It was the Bidhannagar police who said they could not provide adequate security for the derby. The Bidhannagar police and the Kolkata police are under two separate police stations.

There were also dissenting voices in the TMC camp. Banerjee's confidant Kunal Ghosh said he was a Mohun Bagan supporter and called on the administration to reverse its decision to cancel the derby. “If someone wants to display a 'justice' banner, let them. Ignore other provocative banners. Cancelling the derby will send the wrong message.” Bam-Ram [read the Left and the BJP] will intensify the criticism. Let the game take place,” he said in his X-post in Bengali.

The disappointment was palpable in the fan groups – and there were murmurs of dissatisfaction about the police operation.

“Mohan Bagan and East Bengal fans are born rivals on the field! But now they are united. United for one cause. To get justice for their sister. Given their unity, even the state government had to cancel the Sunday derby,” someone posted on X.

Another said: “Congratulations to East Bengal and Mohun Bagan fans! Your unity has shook an entire government!”

The gruesome crime has shocked the nation, brought scrutiny into the functioning of the hospital, led to the sacking of its director, prompted judicial intervention and sparked a political war of words. The Calcutta High Court has handed over the investigation to the CBI. One person has been arrested in the case.