A civil society Awakens

For the first time in West Bengal in decades, the middle class and civil society, not political parties, pushed the CPM-led Left regime and its top police brass to the wall

Rajat Roy Kolkata

The candles are still burning in front of his portrait, placed near St. Xavier's College, the city's elite academic institution. Occasional strangers stop by, and the volunteers waiting there immediately offer them a candle to light a flame, and a pen to write their names. It is simple, symbolic and poignant action, a replay of a tragic ceremony in silent protest.

They have heard of the Calcutta High Court's order for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the mysterious death of Rizwanur Rahaman, a computer graphics design teacher at a local IT school in Kolkata. They are also aware that after the high court order Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya has finally, and reluctantly, taken some tentative steps, which he has been fiercely desisting despite tremendous public outcry. The accused police officers, including the police commissioner, have been finally transferred, making way for a CBI investigation. But will they ever be punished by a regime loaded in their favour?

The handful of people who started this candle-light vigil in front of Rizwanur's alma mater are no political bigwigs or celebrities or fire-brand activists. They are all invisible, ordinary, faceless citizens of Kolkata. Nevertheless, the idea gradually caught on and people started coming out on the streets to record their protests against what they perceived as a case of 'dirty play' of money power and connivance of the political and police establishment.

It is these ordinary citizens who scored a victory when the government's attempt to resist a CBI investigation into Rizwanur's death was rejected by the high court. After that, Bhattacharya, who, till the other day, was ignoring the demand for removal or suspension of the police commissioner and four other 'accused' police officers, announced their transfer. But it is too little and too late. The political setback and loss of credibility suffered by the Left Front government and the ruling CPM is much too evident to be white-washed anymore with politically correct rhetoric.

The political parties came out with expected reactions, but their reactions were usually muted. Even a die-hard opposition party like Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress knows that it is basically a victory for the civil society. And if one goes by the reactions coming from the civil society and the 'ordinary people', then it becomes clear that they are not going to stop at that. People have tasted success, and they want to push their campaign harder.

Sujato Bhadra, an activist of the Association of People's Democratic Rights (APDR), comments, "I cannot recollect any other event when the civil society in Bengal asserted so vocally in demanding justice. The people of India voted out Indira Gandhi after the Emergency. In Bengal this time, people came out on the streets ignoring the religious laksmanrekha to protest against police brutality, money power and the state government's callous attitude. This is unprecedented." Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt described it as 'historic victory'. While visiting Rizwanur's Tiljala residence in Kolkata, he said that never before had so many people from all sections of society come together to press for social and legal justice.

Sujato Bhadra is deeply involved in the campaign. It was Sujato to whom Rizwanur first turned to for help and complained in writing about the police pressure he was being subjected to after he got married to Priyanka Todi.