Throwback 1993: Mamata Banerjee Made A Vow, Then Kept It For 18 Years

It was a summer night of 1993. The clock had just struck 1. The busiest roads in Kolkata were draped in silence. And as the city slept, Mamata Banerjee, then a Congress leader, stood alone near a deserted Mayo Road crossing. Overlooking her was a grand Gandhi statue, an iconic junction for protests in the city. She had just been released from the lock-up, and the dead of the night gave her the much-needed moment of solitude after a chaotic day of protests.

What followed was a vow that she would keep for the next 18 years.

In 1993, Banerjee had already established herself as a firebrand leader known for street-style politics and rustic mannerism. As the Youth Congress chief, she was one of the party's best bets in the Left-ruled Bengal. She was not only an elected MP but also a Union Minister of State in PV Narasimha Rao's cabinet.

Read: Nandigram: Centrepiece Of Bengal's Political Battleground

On May 6, she was confronted with a brutal incident. Dipali Basak, a speech- and hearing-impaired girl from Nadia district had become pregnant after allegedly being raped by a CPM worker. The police had turned down her complaint, according to the then Mahila Congress president of Nadia, Rikta Kundu.

Banerjee was left shocked after meeting her and her mother. She promised to take up the matter with the chief minister, an irrepressible Jyoti Basu.

An appointment was fixed the same day at 3 pm. A Trinamool delegation had reached the Writers' Building, the then secretariat. Banerjee was inside Basu's chamber when she was informed that the chief minister was busy and wouldn't be able to meet her. Soon, Basu left Writers' without meeting her.

"Her appointment was cancelled. The chief minister showed no inclination to speak to a Union Minister. This infuriated Mamata," according to Abani Mohan Joardar, the then deputy commissioner of police (central) who later joined the Trinamool and became an MLA.

But Banerjee wasn't the one to give up. She squatted in the corridors outside Basu's office. Beside her was the rape survivor. She demanded that the rapists be arrested. The sit-in continued for three hours as Banerjee refused to leave without meeting Basu. She was eventually removed from the state secretariat physically by the police. Chaos ensued in the process. Rikta said that the police resorted to lathi-charging the protesters. The rape survivor, who was pregnant, was injured in police action and was rushed to a hospital, while Banerjee was thrown into a police van, she recounted.

Joardar's account suggests that Banerjee was taken to the police headquarters at Lalbazar by the then deputy commissioner, detective department, Goutam Mohan Chakraborty, and put in the lock-up despite her being a Union Minister.

In such cases, either a detainee seeks bail or is produced before the court the next morning. However, Joardar said he was asked to release Banerjee. She was not ready to leave the lock-up initially, but agreed after he spoke to him, the retired police officer added.

Read: A Day At Mamata Banerjee's Rallies And 'Joy Bangla' Chants: Reporter's Diary

As he stepped out of Lalbazar, Joardar sensed why his seniors had suddenly decided to release Banerjee. Outside, a crowd of Youth Congress supporters had started gathering and were brick-batting the police. Banerjee intervened and stopped them, Joardar recounted.

A hesitant Banerjee also agreed to be dropped off at home in a police vehicle. On the way, she spent some time alone at the Gandhi statue on Mayo Road crossing, said Joardar.

The forceful eviction that day had such an impact on Banerjee that she vowed never to set foot in the secretariat again. She kept that vow for 18 years, until she ascended the same throne that had turned her away. On May 20, 2011, Banerjee stepped into the Writers' Building for the first time since 1993, after she became the first woman chief minister of West Bengal.