21 July Martyr's Day Rally
The 21 July Martyr's Day Rally is a mass rally organized by the All India Trinamool Congress in remembrance of 13 people shot by the West Bengal Police in Kolkata during a rally by the West Bengal Youth Congress under Mamata Bandopadhyay on 21 July 1993 while demanding Voter's Identity Card to be made sole required document for voting.
Background
In months preceding the events, the 14-year-old communist government won a massive mandate in 1991, but after Mamata Bandopadhyay became the president of youth wing of the opposition INC a new wave of protests began against what many believed Scientific Rigging employed by the ruling party.
On October 1992, Banerjee, now a Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs in the Narsimha Rao ministry held a massive rally at the Brigade Parade Ground to symbolically toll the bell for ousting of the Communist Government.To many this rejuvenated the opposition to Ruling Communists after a long gap.
On December 1992, Banerjee took a physically challenged Girl Felani Basak, who was allegedly raped by CPI(M) cadres to the Writers' Building to the then Chief Minister Jyoti Basu but was harassed and allegedly molested by the police before being arrested and released from detention in midnight, this attracted universal outrage.
Finally the youth wing of the party led by Mamata Banerjee, Pankaj Banerjee, Madan Mitra decided to march to Writers' Building to lodge appeals for Voter Photo-ID cards to be made necessary for free and fair polling.
Events That Day
The rally was a large yet peaceful one with attendance well over 100000. suddenly trouble broke out when police began to Lathicharge attending people who reacted by throwing brickbats at the police. The Police started shooting from their .303 Rifles without any warning and shot in peoples' head and torso in trying to kill more protesters, 13 people died from the Bullet Wounds sustained.
A conspiracy theory suggests cadres from CPI(M) mingled in the crowd and started to throw bricks at police who retaliated. The Decision to open fire was also widely criticised particularly as most of those killed were shot in the back proving they have been murdered in cold blood.
21 July Rally History 1998-Present
After the main organizers of the 1993 rally broke away to form All India Trinamool Congress the mantle of the rally was taken by AITMC.
martyr's day rally kolkata </ref> 2009 and 2010 events drew 2-3 million people each. it is estimated that 2011 rally will be an even bigger one.
References
Retrieved from : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/21_July_Martyr%27s_Day_Rally
