Football, a game often hailed as a unifier, is a game of the working class and no clubs can survive without community support. Usually, we see fans expressing their support or anger over political and cultural issues in the stands with chants and tifos. The game is much more than a game and what happened in Kolkata is a testimony to that. The age-old rivalry between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan was temporarily eclipsed and the fans took to the streets to fight against injustice.
The events started to unfurl when the highly anticipated Kolkata derby was canceled by the Durand Cup organizers just 24 hours before the match. The tickets were sold out and fans were keen to attend. While the official reason continue to remain under the garb of ambiguity, the notion was that the police force was occupied by the R. G Kar Medical College incident and hence, enough policemen can’t be deputed to the stadium security. However, Mohun Bagan and East Bengal fans had already planned to show their solidarity with the protesting doctors in the form of tifos, banners, and chants during the match. The fear of this collective outpouring of public sentiment, apparently, played a role in the match’s abrupt cancellation.
The fans of the clubs decided to do something unprecedented. They decided to protest in front of the Vivekananda Yuva Bharati Krirangan, where the match was supposed to happen, in the evening. When the club faithfuls converged outside the stadium at 4 PM, they were perplexed to see a large number of policemen guarding the gates of the stadium. When the primary reason for canceling the match was the lack of adequate police force to be deployed in the stadium, how can such a large number of police forces be present to disperse the protesters?
The police informed the fans that no gathering would be allowed in the 200-meter circumference of the stadium. Despite the heavy police presence and prohibitory orders, supporters of the oldest clubs in India were determined to show their spirit. Both sets of fans unveiled the banners and chanted for the victim who was brutally murdered in the R G Kar Medical College. Mohammedan SC fans also joined the movement by 5 PM.
The popular chants that echoed through the evening included “Dofa ek, Dabi ek, Mamata Banerjee’s Padatyag” (one case, one demand, Mamata Banerjee’s resignation), Dori dhore maro taan, Rani hobe khan khan (taken from the Satyajit Ray movie Hirak Raja Deshe), and Jot bedheche Bangal Ghoti, Voy peyeche Hawai Choti (Bangal and Ghati have joined forces, Hawai Chappal is scared). The unity displayed by the traditionally rival fan bases was unprecedented, expressing a shared pain and a collective demand for justice.
Though it was a peaceful protest, the police sorted to lathi charge to disperse the crowd. Numerous fans were arrested and detained. However, Kalyan Chaubey, the AIFF President intervened and released most of them. According to fans, few have yet to be released from jail. Subhashish Bose, the Mohun Bagan captain, also joined the protest with the fans and his wife accompanied him. As per the fans, around 15,000 attended the strike. The participation of actors like Ushasie Chakraborty, and Rishav Basu added further weight to the protest.
According to Dhritiman, a Bengali football fan, “I have never seen anything like this ever in Kolkata. I never imagined it would happen. Proud to be a football fan.”
The Kolkata Derby didn’t happen; however, Kolkata witnessed unprecedented unity in the footballing fraternity. Once again it was proved that football can be a catalyst for a revolution. As the legends say, it’s more than just a game.
