Geetha Patil
BOSTON: Indian American community of Greater Boston organized a Protest (car) Rally Boston, USA to save the people of West Bengal from political violence on Sunday, December 20, 2020.
A good number of Indian American prominent representatives hailing from 18 different States in India assembled at the Harvard Business School Parking lot, Cambridge in support of this protest and also lend support to the protesters in India who are fighting against killings in West Bengal. A parade of vehicles was filled with the protesters, written slogans, and the shouting that included, ‘Stop Killing in West Bengal,’ ‘Save West Bengal’, ‘West Bengal is Bleeding,’ and ‘Save Democracy.’ The event was held in solidarity with international demonstrations.
The speakers namely Pramit Maakoday, Anand Sahu, Kanchan Banerjee, Haimanti Banerjee, Sanjay Kaul, Vandana Sharma, Jagadish Tiwari, Sanjay Tripathi and Tushar Khairnar spoke on the current political culture in West Bengal and how it is consistently playing out in the colors of confrontation and has the potential to explode in violence.
It is alleged that Trinamool Congress (TMC) in Bengal, has apparently made political violence its primary weapon making political leaders and workers, even the public quite unsafe in West Bengal. People are ready for the change and they have the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as their only alternative currently and they want the BJP to shift gear to mount a frontal attack on the TMC through proper democratic process.
Another speaker, Sanjay Kaul said that they see the violence like Kashmir in West Bengal, and they support the change. From the Harvard Business School, Cambridge, the car rally went to the Boston’s Massachusetts State House. There the rally participants demonstrated their protest in a democratic way and speakers delivered their brief speeches about the agenda of their protest and showed their support for the change to the audiences who gathered there to learn about the protest.
Some of the bystanders and observers knew about what is going on in the West Bengal and most of them expressed their support to end such violence and protect the lives of common people in West Bengal.
Anand Sahu, who is working for Unorganized Workers Social Security, spoke on the occasion as well and thanked all the organizers and participants of the rally for making it a successful one. He also appreciated the appeal sent to Indian President by the non-resident Bengalis and non-resident Indians to draw his kind attention to these atrocities, which constitute unacceptable human rights violations against the people of West Bengal.
He also shared his plans saying that he is interested in building a close network with NRIs all over the world and develop some socio-cultural, trade and business, and service sector opportunities for their active India-USA partnership.
A communication to the Indian President read as follows:
Dear President Kovind-ji
We are dismayed and appalled to observe that West Bengal has become a state where law and order have collapsed. Every day we hear of egregious acts of political violence, murder, and rape. Indeed, people are being murdered in broad daylight. The law enforcement apparatus is apparently a mute spectator to such persistent outrages.
We, non-resident Bengalis and non-resident Indians, draw your kind attention to these atrocities, which constitute unacceptable human rights violations against the people of West Bengal. All the citizens of West Bengal deserve humane treatment regardless of political and religious affiliation. We add that it is also a matter of grave concern that the civil administration of the state is declining to submit reports requested by the honorable governor of West Bengal concerning events and policing in West Bengal, in order to allow him to discharge his constitutional duties.
We earnestly urge you to take appropriate action to curb the loss of precious lives and help restore normalcy, especially during this crucial period leading up to the assembly elections of May 2021.
