Kolkata. The cancellation of the football match between Kolkata’s two arch rivals Mohun Bagan and East Bengal in the backdrop of protests against the rape and murder of a doctor in a government hospital has led to a new political controversy. Along with this, a new scene is being seen in Bengal as the supporters of both the football clubs have come together to protest against the incident.
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 signal. Meanwhile, some fan accounts on Sunday spoke of unity among fans of the two clubs, whose supporters often feud, and were involved in a deadly clash at the stadium in 1980 that left 16 people dead.
On Sunday, two of India’s oldest football clubs, East Bengal and Mohun Bagan, who own gleaming trophy cabinets, were set to renew their rivalry at the Salt Lake Stadium in Bidhannagar on the outskirts of the city in what could be their first encounter this season. The “Kolkata Derby”, as the clash is famously called, is over 100 years old – and despite India’s 100-plus FIFA rankings, the derby’s folklore has found its way into the Western media.
No wonder, anticipation was high. And this time, the demand for justice for the 31-year-old intern doctor who was raped-murdered at Kolkata’s premier RG Kar Medical College and Hospital overshadowed the usual acrimonious debates over supremacy and sharp jibes on Facebook fan pages. Some pages were filled with calls for unity and views of banners demanding justice for the postgraduate medical student. But on Saturday (August 17) evening, bad news came: the authorities cancelled the derby because the police were not able to provide the required “security cover”.
“It is very shameful. Law and order has completely collapsed in West Bengal. A football match could not happen,” says All-India Football Federation president Kalyan Chaubey.pic.twitter.com/wWu6AlHDcnEast Bengal and Mohun Bagan match at Salt Lake stadium in Kolkata was cancelled…
— Kanchan Gupta (@KanchanGupta) August 18, 2024
Police released audio clips
Facing criticism, the police on Sunday afternoon said that the match was cancelled after they received “intelligence inputs” that there would be “violence” at the venue. “We have received specific inputs that some people will come outside the stadium today and create trouble. Through the media, I appeal to all of you not to come today,” Bidhannagar police said during a press conference.