India's football rivals protest together against the rape and murder of a doctor in Kolkata | Latest news from India

By Chiranjit Ojha

August 19 – Supporters of Indian football clubs East Bengal and Mohun Bagan put aside their bitter rivalry and protest together against the rape and murder of a trainee doctor in a Kolkata hospital.

The Durand Cup match between the century-old clubs from the eastern Indian city of Kolkata was cancelled on Sunday due to security concerns, but fans gathered near the Salt Lake Stadium to demand justice for the 31-year-old who died at RG Kar Hospital this month, sparking nationwide protests by doctors.

Fans of the two clubs often clash during heated matches in the Kolkata derby, but Mohun Bagan general secretary Debashis Dutta said he was not surprised by the show of unity.

“They represented the society… an incident like this saddens us all and we all want a quick solution,” Dutta said.

Some fans were injured when police dispersed the crowd on Sunday.

Arundhati Biswas, a supporter of East Bengal, suffered minor injuries during the protest but was pleasantly surprised by the camaraderie between the rival groups.

“I never thought I would see two sworn enemies come together like this,” Biswas told Reuters on Monday.

She added that the two groups were also joined by some fans of another local team, Mohammedan Sporting.

Subrata Ray, a Mohun Bagan fan who was arrested and taken to the Lalbazar police headquarters, said the protesters did not engage in violence or vandalism.

“We were protesting peacefully,” Ray said, adding that they were released late at night after Football Association of India chairman Kalyan Chaubey intervened.

Chaubey, a former Indian goalkeeper and politician from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, condemned the arrest of the fans and said they had only gathered for a “peaceful march”.

India and Mohun Bagan defender Subhashish Bose also joined the protest.

“There is only one demand: everyone wants justice,” he said.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without any modifications.