No Arms, No Motorcycles: Calcutta HC Guidelines For Ram Navami Rally in Kolkata

Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court on Friday issued an order regarding Howrah's Ram Navami rally, allowing it to take place between 3 PM and 5 PM. The High Court specified that no arms or motorcycles would be permitted during the rally and emphasised that it should be conducted peacefully under proper police supervision.

The court allowed the Ram Navami rally to be organised by Anjani Putra Sena, Vishva Hindu Parishad, and Durga Vahini with a maximum of 500 participants, stating that all rallies would follow the same route along GT Road.

Ahead of the Ram Navami event, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has called on all communities to maintain peace and calm during the festival. She took a dig at the Opposition saying that follow Ramakrishna and not the jumla party. 

In a statement, the Chief Minister said, “They are organising a rally on Ram Navami. We want peace. Everyone will do puja. I request everyone and all communities to maintain peace. Don't create a riot-like situation. We will follow Ramakrishna, not the jumla party. We will follow Vivekananda, not the jumla party. I repeat, don't try to disrupt each other's programs and festivals.”

Calcutta High Court Justice Tirthankar Ghosh allowed a plea by Anjani Putra Sena but imposed a few conditions to carry out ‘Shobha Yatra Utsav’.

The Calcutta High Court said that the rally should be completed between 8:30 am and 12 noon. The court also directed police to deploy surveillance vehicles at the front and back of the rally. 

Speaking after court's judgement, BJP leader Giriraj Singh said that now Shobha Yatra and Ram Navami will be celebrated with great pomp in Bengal… Jai Shri Ram will echo on the land of Bengal. 

The High Court has protected our religious rights and beliefs and has foiled the Talibani conspiracy hatched by Mamata Banerjee. This is the victory of faith, the victory of Hindu culture, he said.