Protests are continuing across the country over the incident of rape and murder of a trainee female doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. Doctors and other medical staff are protesting in different parts of the country, due to which health facilities are being affected.
This football match had to be canceled
The situation in Kolkata city is not completely good right now. The Durand Cup match between Mohun Bagan and East Bengal to be held at the Salt Lake Stadium on Sunday (August 18) has been canceled due to the ongoing unrest in the city. This decision was taken after a meeting between Kolkata Police officials and the organizers of the tournament.
An official told news agency PTI, ‘Both teams will be given one point each, while fans will get full refund of the tickets purchased. It has also been learned that all the Durand Cup matches to be held in Kolkata can be shifted to Jamshedpur.
BJP leader raised questions
BJP leader Amit Malviya has targeted the state government after the cancellation of the match. Malviya wrote, ‘Mamata Banerjee’s police has canceled Kolkata’s most awaited football match East Bengal vs Mohun Bagan derby to be held on 18th August. All the tickets had been sold. The reason given was inability to provide security for the game. This tells a lot about the law and order situation in West Bengal under Mamata Banerjee’s rule.
He further wrote, ‘Leave alone the state’s population of 10 crores, we are unable to provide security to about 60,000 people. But the real reason is that both East Bengal and Mohun Bagan supporters were planning to carry posters and placards demanding Mamata Banerjee’s resignation as well as justice for the victim. The game was canceled due to fear of such massive protests.
In an unprecedented move, Mamata Banerjee’s Police has cancelled Kolkata’s most awaited football match, the East Bengal vs Mohun Bagan derby, scheduled for 18th Aug. The tickets were all sold out. REASON GIVEN: inability to provide security for the game.
It speaks volumes about… pic.twitter.com/5PQCTwKH4r
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) August 18, 2024
The body of a post graduate doctor of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital was found on August 9, after which widespread protests are taking place. The Indian Medical Association has called for a 24-hour nationwide strike on Saturday to protest against the alleged rape and murder of its colleague.
Asia’s oldest football tournament
Let us tell you that Durand Cup is the oldest football tournament in Asia. Its first season was played in 1888. A total of 43 matches are being played in the Durand Cup 2024 in round-robin league and knockout format. 24 teams are participating in the tournament, which are divided into six groups. The top team of each group along with the next two best teams will qualify for the quarter-finals. Continuing its commitment to expand the tournament further into the East and North-East of the country, this year also two new cities Jamshedpur and Shillong were added as hosts.