At least 70 intellectuals were arrested by police on Sunday for protesting against the violence perpetrated in Nandigram by the Communist Party of India-Marxist activists and calling for a boycott of the 13th Kolkata Film Festival.
The festival that got underway on Saturday has been more in news for the calls for boycott from the intellectuals of Bengal than for the films on show.
Some 70 intellectuals, including artist Subhaprasanna, director- singer Anjan Dutta, actors Parambrata Chatterjee, Bidipta Chakraborty and poet Joy Goswami, were arrested in 'apprehension of unlawful activities,' while they were leading a procession towards Nandan.
Bidipta Chakroborty said, "We were singing revolutionary songs protesting the bloodshed perpetrated in Nandigram by the CPM cadres in their effort to reclaim the lost land. Suddenly, the police came and tried to stop us and then arrested us and forcibly packed us off in police vans."
The 100-strong intelligentsia sang We shall Overcome and a Bengali version of Bob Dylan's Blowing in the wind, when they were arrested. Incidentally, the Communist government in West Bengal has always promoted mass songs and revolutionary songs.
The incident took place when the intelligentsia protesting in Esplanade alongside Medha Patkar went towards Nandan, the cultural hub of the city where the film festival is currently underway, protesting the holding of the festival when people were dying in Nandigram in state sponsored violence.
Subhaprasanna said, "This is ridiculous and heartless. How can one celebrate a film festival with blood on his hands? We all love films, but we protest the shameless holding of festival in this dark hour. We wanted to tear open the false image that the state was trying to project before the international fora."
They were later taken to the Lalbazar station and a case registered under Cr PC 155 stating that they were arrested apprehending unlawful activities.
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