Bengal July 21 martyrs: Ritabrata promises ₹10k monthly aid if EC rules in his favour
Synopsis
On Martyrs' Day, West Bengal's TMC split was on full display — rival factions held competing rallies in Kolkata. Ritabrata Banerjee's rebel group promised ₹10,000 monthly to families of the 1993 police-firing victims, but only if the ECI hands them the party symbol. Meanwhile, CM Suvendu Adhikari tabled a commission report alleging the Mamata government paid far less than the recommended compensation to the same families.
Key Takeaways
Expelled TMC legislator Ritabrata Banerjee announced ₹10,000 monthly compensation for families of 13 Youth Congress workers killed on 21 July 1993 .
The pledge is conditional on the Election Commission of India awarding his faction rights over the TMC name, symbol, and funds.
TMC chief Mamata Banerjee vowed to move the Supreme Court to retain her faction's claim over the party symbol.
CM Suvendu Adhikari tabled the Justice Susanta Chatterjee Commission report in the assembly on Monday , alleging the previous TMC government paid only ₹2 lakh to deceased families against a recommended ₹25 lakh .
Adhikari invited fresh FIRs from affected families and promised full commission-recommended compensation from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund .
Expelled All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) legislator Ritabrata Banerjee, leading the self-styled 'rebel but majority' faction of the party, on Tuesday announced a monthly compensation of ₹10,000 for the families of the 13 Youth Congress workers killed in police firing on 21 July 1993 in Kolkata — but attached a significant condition: the promise would be honoured only if the Election Commission of India (ECI) awards his faction rights over the Trinamool Congress name, electoral symbol, and party funds.
The Conditional Promise
Addressing a Martyrs' Day rally in Central Kolkata, Ritabrata stated that the compensation would be drawn from party funds. 'If the EC decides in our favour, then in the first national working committee meeting of Trinamool Congress, the first resolution will be to pay ₹10,000 monthly compensation to the families of the 13 martyrs. We have already done the calculation and found that it is possible,' he said.
The announcement is explicitly tied to a favourable ECI ruling — making it a political pledge contingent on an ongoing legal and electoral dispute rather than an immediate commitment.
Mamata's Counter-Move
Meanwhile, former West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, addressing a separate rally organised by her faction on the same day, vowed to approach the Supreme Court to retain her faction's claim over the party name and symbol. The parallel rallies on Martyrs' Day underscored the deepening split within the TMC, with both sides using the occasion to signal strength.
Justice Commission Report Tabled in Assembly
The political drama played out against a fresh disclosure in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly. On Monday, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari tabled the report of the Justice Susanta Chatterjee (Retired) Commission — constituted by the previous Trinamool government to probe the deaths of the 13 Youth Congress workers in the 1993 police firing under then Chief Minister Jyoti Basu of the Left Front.
After tabling the report, Adhikari alleged that the previous Mamata Banerjee government had failed to implement the Commission's compensation recommendations. 'The Commission recommended ₹25 lakh for the families of the deceased and ₹12 lakh for the injured. The previous government gave only ₹2 lakh to the families of the deceased and ₹15,000 to the injured. You should be ashamed,' Adhikari said, adding that his government would invite fresh FIRs from affected families and release the full recommended compensation from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund.
Why This Matters
The 21 July 1993 incident — in which police opened fire on Youth Congress workers marching to demand electoral reforms — has long been a defining moment in West Bengal's political memory. Trinamool Congress has historically anchored its identity around this date, making it a potent symbol in the current intra-party conflict. Notably, this is the first Martyrs' Day in decades where rival factions of the same party have held competing rallies, reflecting the scale of the TMC's internal rupture.
With the ECI yet to rule on the symbol dispute and the Supreme Court now potentially drawn in, the political future of both factions — and the compensation pledges attached to their claims — remains unresolved.
Point of View
At its core, a political instrument — its fulfilment depends entirely on an ECI ruling that has not yet come. Using the memory of the 1993 martyrs as leverage in a symbol dispute risks reducing a genuine historical grievance to a bargaining chip. What is more telling is the Susanta Chatterjee Commission report: if the finding that the Mamata government paid ₹2 lakh against a recommended ₹25 lakh is accurate, it represents a serious accountability failure that predates the current intra-party conflict. The fact that this disclosure comes from the BJP-led government, not an independent audit, warrants scrutiny — but the underlying numbers deserve a direct, non-partisan answer.
NationPress
22 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Ritabrata Banerjee promise on Martyrs' Day?
Ritabrata Banerjee, leading the rebel faction of Trinamool Congress, promised ₹10,000 in monthly compensation to the families of the 13 Youth Congress workers killed in the 21 July 1993 police firing in Kolkata. The promise is conditional on the Election Commission of India ruling in his faction's favour on the party name and symbol dispute.
Who were the July 21, 1993 martyrs?
They were 13 Youth Congress workers killed when police opened fire on a march in Kolkata on 21 July 1993, during the Left Front government led by then Chief Minister Jyoti Basu. The incident has since become a defining date in West Bengal's political calendar, observed annually as Martyrs' Day by Trinamool Congress.
What did the Justice Susanta Chatterjee Commission recommend?
The Commission, constituted by the previous Trinamool Congress government to probe the 1993 deaths, recommended ₹25 lakh compensation for families of the deceased and ₹12 lakh for the injured. Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari alleged the Mamata Banerjee government paid only ₹2 lakh to deceased families and ₹15,000 to the injured.
What is Mamata Banerjee's position in the TMC symbol dispute?
Mamata Banerjee has vowed to approach the Supreme Court to retain her faction's claim over the Trinamool Congress name and electoral symbol, directly opposing Ritabrata Banerjee's rival claim before the Election Commission of India.
What action has CM Suvendu Adhikari announced for the 1993 victims?
Adhikari said his government will allow affected families to file fresh FIRs and will release the full commission-recommended compensation — ₹25 lakh for deceased families and ₹12 lakh for the injured — from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund.
