Ritabrata Banerjee's rebel TMC gets Kolkata Police nod for July 21 Martyrs' Day rally
Synopsis
For the first time in over three decades, two rival factions of a fractured Trinamool Congress will compete to own Martyrs' Day on 21 July — with the rebel camp led by Ritabrata Banerjee holding police permission, and Mamata Banerjee's faction locked out and fighting for clearance in court. The day has become the most consequential test of the TMC split since Bengal's election results upended the state's politics.
Key Takeaways
Kolkata Police have granted permission to the rebel TMC faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee to hold a Martyrs' Day rally on 21 July at the Gandhi statue, Esplanade .
Mamata Banerjee's TMC faction has been denied permission; an FIR has been filed against leaders Kunal Ghosh and Dola Sen at Hare Street police station .
Mamata's faction has approached the Calcutta High Court seeking permission to hold its own rally.
The rebel faction constituted a new working committee on 22 June , naming Arup Roy as chairperson and excluding Mamata and Abhishek Banerjee .
The BJP under Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari formed the West Bengal government after TMC's defeat, with election results declared on 4 May .
21 July is widely seen as the first major organisational test for both factions since the split.
Kolkata Police have granted permission to the rebel faction of the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC), led by Leader of the Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee, to hold a Martyrs' Day programme in Kolkata on 21 July. The event is planned at the foot of the Gandhi statue on Jawaharlal Nehru Road in the Esplanade area of central Kolkata — the same symbolic stretch where TMC's Martyrs' Day rallies have been held for over three decades.
Two Trinamool Factions, One Day, One Venue
The development sets the stage for a politically charged showdown on 21 July, with two rival camps of the now-fractured Trinamool Congress both seeking to claim ownership of the party's most significant annual event. While the rebel faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee has secured police clearance, the faction headed by former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has not been granted permission this year.
Notably, an FIR has been filed at Hare Street police station against senior TMC leaders Kunal Ghosh, Dola Sen, and others, reportedly for blocking roads and occupying the venue without authorisation. Mamata Banerjee's faction has since approached the Calcutta High Court seeking judicial permission to hold its rally.
What Ritabrata Banerjee Said
Speaking to reporters after the rebel faction's organisational meeting at the Boat Club in Kolkata on Saturday, Uluberia Purba MLA Ritabrata Banerjee described the 21 July event as the group's immediate political priority. He confirmed that preparations are already underway and said that the detailed programme schedule, the list of participating leaders, and other organisational details would be published in the coming days.
Rebel TMC leaders framed the occasion as more than a commemoration — calling it a major test of their organisation's strength and public support base in the post-election landscape.
The Political Context: Bengal After the Assembly Election
The backdrop to this contest is the seismic shift in West Bengal's political landscape following the Assembly election results announced on 4 May. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), led by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, formed the government after the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC's electoral defeat — ending her 15 years in power.
In the aftermath, a section of TMC legislators broke ranks. They elected Ritabrata Banerjee as Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly and subsequently constituted a new working committee, explicitly excluding Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee.
At a special meeting held at a hotel in New Town on 22 June, Howrah Madhya MLA Arup Roy was declared the new chairperson of the rebel Trinamool Congress. Aroop Biswas, Firhad Hakim, Rathin Ghosh, and Sabina Yasmin were named co-chairpersons. Ritabrata Banerjee, Javed Khan, and Sandipan Saha were appointed general secretaries, and Akhruzzaman Ansari was named treasurer.
Martyrs' Day: The Symbolic Stakes
Martyrs' Day on 21 July has been the defining political event of the original Trinamool Congress for more than three decades. The occasion commemorates the 1993 Youth Congress rally in which police opened fire, killing several protesters. Under Mamata Banerjee's leadership — from opposition years through her decade and a half in government — the annual rally in Esplanade became a mass mobilisation exercise, drawing lakhs of supporters and serving as a barometer of the party's political muscle.
This year, with the Mamata camp shut out of official permission and facing legal hurdles, the rebel faction's authorised rally at the same location carries heightened symbolic weight. Mamata Banerjee has publicly stated she will observe Martyrs' Day regardless of permission, even if only with a small number of workers and supporters — an indication that both events are likely to proceed on the same day.
What Happens Next
Political observers in West Bengal are closely watching how 21 July unfolds, as it is expected to offer the clearest signal yet of each faction's organisational reach and public support. The Calcutta High Court's response to Mamata Banerjee's plea for permission will be a critical variable. The day's events are likely to define the trajectory of the TMC split in the weeks ahead.
Point of View
Sanctioned while Mamata's camp faces FIRs and court battles, hands the breakaway group a symbolic advantage that no internal party resolution could have delivered. Whether the rebel faction can actually fill the ground, however, is a separate question entirely — and that answer will arrive on the day itself. Martyrs' Day has historically been a demonstration of mass loyalty, not just leadership lists, and lakhs showing up for Mamata even without permission would expose the limits of administrative favour as a political tool.
NationPress
11 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Ritabrata Banerjee and why is he holding a Martyrs' Day rally?
Ritabrata Banerjee is the Uluberia Purba MLA and Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, heading a rebel faction of the Trinamool Congress that broke away after the party's defeat in the state Assembly elections. His faction has secured Kolkata Police permission to hold a Martyrs' Day rally on 21 July at the Gandhi statue in Esplanade, Kolkata — the same venue historically associated with the original TMC's annual event.
Why has Mamata Banerjee's TMC faction been denied permission for the Martyrs' Day rally?
Kolkata Police did not grant permission to Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress faction for the 21 July event this year. Additionally, an FIR was filed against party leaders Kunal Ghosh, Dola Sen, and others at Hare Street police station for allegedly blocking roads and occupying the venue. Mamata's faction has since moved the Calcutta High Court seeking judicial clearance to hold the rally.
What is Martyrs' Day on 21 July?
Martyrs' Day on 21 July commemorates the 1993 incident in which police opened fire on a Youth Congress rally in Kolkata, killing several protesters. Mamata Banerjee turned the annual commemoration into the Trinamool Congress's most significant political event over more than three decades, using it to mobilise lakhs of supporters in the Esplanade area of central Kolkata.
What is the rebel Trinamool Congress faction and when was it formed?
The rebel TMC faction emerged after the BJP won the West Bengal Assembly elections, with results declared on 4 May. A section of TMC MLAs declared a rebellion, elected Ritabrata Banerjee as Leader of the Opposition, and at a special meeting in New Town on 22 June, constituted a new working committee with Arup Roy as chairperson — explicitly excluding Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee.
What will 21 July indicate about West Bengal politics?
The 21 July events are widely regarded as the first major organisational test for both TMC factions since the split. Political observers will assess crowd turnout at both events to gauge each faction's actual support base, making the day a key indicator of whether the rebel camp has genuine mass backing or remains a leadership-level realignment.
