Kolkata, July 21: A faction led by rebel and expelled Trinamool Congress MLA Ritabrat Banerjee announced on Tuesday that it will provide monthly financial assistance of ₹10,000 to the families of 13 Youth Congress workers who lost their lives in a police shooting on July 21, 1993. This promise is contingent upon the Election Commission granting them rights to the party name, symbol, and funds.
Addressing a Martyrs’ Day rally in central Kolkata, Banerjee stated that the funds would come from the party’s budget. He emphasized, “If the Election Commission rules in our favor, the first proposal in the inaugural meeting of the first national committee of the Trinamool Congress will be to grant ₹10,000 monthly assistance to the families of the 13 martyrs. We have calculated the feasibility, and it is possible.”
It is important to note that during a protest in West Bengal under the Left Front government led by then Chief Minister Jyoti Basu, 13 Youth Congress workers were killed in police firing on July 21, 1993.
Meanwhile, former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee addressed another rally organized by her faction, stating that she would approach the Supreme Court to retain the party’s name and symbol.
On Monday, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari presented the report of the Justice Sushant Chatterjee (Retd.) Commission in the Assembly. This commission was set up by the previous Trinamool government to investigate the deaths of the 13 Youth Congress workers.
After presenting the report, Adhikari alleged that the previous Mamata Banerjee government did not comply with the commission’s recommendations. He claimed, “The commission recommended ₹25 lakh compensation for the families of the deceased and ₹12 lakh for the injured, but the previous government only provided ₹2 lakh to the families of the deceased and a mere ₹15,000 to the injured. This is shameful.”
Adhikari urged the families of the deceased and injured to file new FIRs, assuring them that his government would provide opportunities for this. He added, “If the families seek compensation as per the commission’s recommendations, our government is ready to disburse that amount from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund.”
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