Police sources revealed that the first attempt to stop the rally starting from College Street and headed for the Howrah Bridge would be made at the Strand Road-Mahatma Gandhi Road junction with reinforced aluminium guard walls at the base of the bridge.Barricades have also been set up on approach roads to Vidyasagar Setu on Turf View Road, Hastings, Furlong Gate and Kidderpore Road to stop protestors’ movement towards the Second Hooghly Bridge.In Howrah, over 2,000 police personnel would be dotting various approach points to Nabanna who would be led by four ADGs, 13 DIGs and 15 SP-ranked officers.Four water cannon trucks have also been deployed.Traffic movement at both Kolkata and Howrah ends has been severely restricted by the police since this morning.The state police has termed the rally “illegal” and “unauthorized,” citing concerns over potential violence and public disorder.ADG (Law and Order) Manoj Verma indicated that there is credible intelligence suggesting attempts by miscreants to incite violence and chaos during the protest.Consequently, the government has imposed prohibitory orders near Nabanna (state secretariat) under Section 163 of BNSS, restricting gatherings of five or more people.The Trinamool Congress has denounced the rally as a “conspiracy” to create public disorder, releasing videos that purportedly show BJP leaders from Ghatal, Paschim Medinipur district, planning to provoke violence.The persons shown in the videos have been detained for questioning.In response to the anticipated disruptions, several educational institutions have opted to conduct online classes or declared a holiday for Tuesday.Governor CV Ananda Bose has urged the state government to refrain from using force to prevent the rally, advocating for the students’ right to protest.
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