West Bengal CM to Release Report on 1993 Youth Congress Deaths
Kolkata, July 20: West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced on Monday that he will make public the report from the Justice Sushanta Chatterjee Commission. This commission was established by the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC government to investigate the deaths of 13 Youth Congress workers during a police firing at a protest rally on July 21, 1993.
The Chief Minister made this announcement during the first day of the extended budget session in the assembly.
Notably, the report will be released just one day before the Trinamool Congress factions commemorate ‘Shaheed Diwas’ (Martyrs’ Day).
Addressing the assembly, the Chief Minister stated, “The previous TMC government formed the ’21 July Commission’ after coming to power in 2011. Its head was Justice Sushanta Chatterjee (retired). I will make that report public. It will clarify how much of Justice Chatterjee’s recommendations were implemented by the previous government. I will present the report based on evidence to the people of Bengal.”
On July 21, 1993, Mamata Banerjee, then associated with Congress, led a protest march to the state secretariat, ‘Writers’ Building.’
At that time, Jyoti Basu was the Chief Minister of the ruling Left Front government in West Bengal. The police halted the Youth Congress procession before it could reach Writers’ Building. Allegations arose that the police opened fire on the marching protesters, resulting in the deaths of 13 Youth Congress workers.
Since then, Mamata Banerjee, first as a Congress leader and later as the head of the Trinamool Congress, has commemorated July 21 each year to pay tribute to those killed. The Congress party also organizes various events on this day.
However, the observance of Shaheed Diwas has been mired in controversy. On the day of the police firing in 1993, Manish Gupta, an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, was the Home Secretary of West Bengal.
Gupta later joined the Trinamool Congress before the 2011 assembly elections. He contested as a party candidate and became a member of the cabinet under Mamata Banerjee’s leadership. Subsequently, he became a Rajya Sabha member from the Trinamool Congress. Recently, he decided to exit politics.
