Whose Martyrs' Day is it anyway? Bitter battle to claim Bengal's July 21 legacy

Commemorating the tragic 1993 police firing that killed 13 youth activists, the day was seamlessly woven into the political mythology of TMC chief Mamata Banerjee. However, after the major setbacks for the TMC in the 2026 Assembly elections, this historical milestone has acquired significance far beyond its annual commemorative character.

With a fragmented TMC fighting internal rebellions and a resurgent Congress aggressively moving to reclaim its original banner, July 21 has become Bengal’s latest political flashpoint, a high-stakes day where every major faction is now fiercely staking a claim on its legacy.

Mamata dares anyone to stop her

Mamata, who is fighting battles on all fronts, has made it clear from the start that the TMC will go ahead with its Martyrs' Day rally on July 21 this year despite alleging that the authorities were trying to block the event.

“The police are denying permission, saying that no rallies will be allowed in Kolkata’s central and north zones until August. What kind of statement is this? Is this the silencing of democracy? Or a blanket order by force. There is no Section 144, no communal unrest. Then why is this being done? Only to disrupt TMC events?” she asked, and swore that even if the programme has to be held standing on a rickshaw, they will do it.

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Meanwhile, the TMC has moved Calcutta High Court seeking direction to the police to allow its July 21 Martyrs' Day rally in front of Victoria House at Esplanade. This petition is being heard by the Calcutta High Court today (July 15).

While the judge made it clear he would not allow the rally in front of Victoria House because it would choke the arterial Chittaranjan Avenue in the heart of the city, Kalyan Banerjee offered the area in front of Birla Planetarium, Metro channel or Dorina crossing at Esplanade as alternative venues.

He also pointed out that the police permitted two other rallies to commemorate the day—one at Mayo Road, in front of Mahatma Gandhi’s statue, and another at Shahid Minar ground. The court asked the police if two rallies have been permitted, why another cannot be allowed in the vicinity with adequate police arrangements.

Divided TMC

The developments come even as the rival camps within the TMC prepare to observe July 21 separately for the first time since the TMC was formed in 1998, turning the party's biggest annual political mobilisation into the latest arena in a widening battle over its identity and inheritance.

The rebel TMC faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee is organising a separate observance of the anniversary near the Mahatma Gandhi statue in Esplanade. After police declined permission, the Ritabrata camp sought an alternative venue and was subsequently allowed to hold the programme near the Gandhi statue on Mayo Road.

Last month, the Ritabrata faction claimed the support of 58 of the party's 80 MLAs in wresting control of the legislature party, a figure it now says has risen to around 65 legislators. Against that backdrop, this year's July 21 programme has acquired significance far beyond its annual commemorative character.

However, rejecting suggestions that the party stood divided, senior TMC leader Chandrima Bhattacharya said there was only one TMC and that the focus of July 21 should remain on the martyrs rather than personalities.

"We do not believe that there is any faction; we are the Trinamool Congress. It doesn't matter whether a specific person shows up or not. What matters is paying tribute to the martyrs and demonstrating our reverence for them. Our workers will come here regardless of whether the leaders attend or not," she said.

Senior TMC leader Kunal Ghosh also rejected the rebels' claim over the party's legacy, saying July 21 was inseparable from Mamata Banerjee's political journey.

"July 21 is synonymous with Mamata Banerjee. It was her movement, her struggle and her sacrifice that gave the day its identity. No one can take that legacy away," Ghosh said.

Rebel camp's margdarshak

As the battle for the TMC's political legacy sharpened, the Ritabrata Banerjee-led rebel camp said Mamata Banerjee could attend its July 21 Martyrs' Day rally "if she wishes to be a margdarshak (guide)", even as it clarified that no decision had yet been taken on formally inviting her.

The remarks came as leaders of the rebel faction inspected preparations at the Gandhi statue on Mayo Road, where they will hold the annual Martyrs' Day programme. "If she wishes to provide guidance, there is no issue at all. We would ask her to come," Leader of the Opposition, Ritabrata Banerjee, said when asked whether founder-chairperson Mamata Banerjee would attend the programme.

Also read: Mamata speaks on TMC crisis: Key takeaways from her address after Chandrima’s exit

However, newly elected AITC chairperson Arup Roy clarified that the leadership had not discussed extending a formal invitation.

The inspection was attended by Ritabrata Banerjee, Roy, Firhad Hakim, Sandipan Saha, Javed Khan, Snehasish Chakraborty, Kajal Sheikh, Akhruzzaman and other legislators and leaders aligned with the rebel camp, who reviewed the proposed stage layout and logistical arrangements after securing police permission for the Mayo Road venue.

"We will hold this rally on behalf of the TMC, not any faction. It has already been proved that we are the TMC. We had sought permission for a specific venue, but it was denied. We will not hold the event forcibly anywhere; we will proceed only where permission is granted," Saha said.

Roy said the Gandhi statue venue had been approved after a proposal was made to avoid inconvenience to the public.

Congress calls out Mamata

Meanwhile, West Bengal Congress president Subhankar Sarkar invited TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee to the party's July 21 programme in Kolkata, saying she should acknowledge that leaving the Congress nearly three decades ago was a "mistake".

Speaking to reporters after reviewing preparations for the 'Martyrs' Day' programme at Shahid Minar, Sarkar said Banerjee should recognise the historical significance of the July 21, 1993 movement instead of "attempting to rewrite its legacy".

"If Mamata Banerjee really has the courage, she should not distort history. She should admit that she took a wrong political decision in the past. She is welcome to come to our programme at Shahid Minar and pay tribute to the martyrs," he said.

Sarkar asserted that the July 21, 1993 movement was organised under the banner of the Youth Congress and that its association with the Congress could not be erased. "The movement of July 21, 1993 was held under the Youth Congress flag. That is a part of history, and there is no scope to deny it. A political leader who respects his or her own political past earns greater respect," he said.

The Congress leader said Banerjee's participation in the programme, coupled with an acknowledgement that quitting the Congress was a political error, would be a significant gesture.

"If she publicly says that leaving the Congress was a mistake and comes to the Shahid Minar stage to pay homage to the July 21 martyrs, it will be an important act of political atonement. It will at least show an effort to correct some of the mistakes of the past. The Congress stage is open to everyone, and she is free to come and pay her respects," Sarkar said.

BJP's stance

The BJP, meanwhile, sought to keep the focus on public convenience while taking a swipe at both camps.

West Bengal's Urban Development Minister Agnimitra Paul on Sunday challenged the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC to hold its July 21 rally at Kolkata's Brigade Parade Ground instead of Esplanade, saying it would be the true test of the party's organisational strength.

Her remarks came amid the TMC's legal battle to secure permission to hold its annual 'Martyrs' Day' programme at Esplanade after Kolkata Police denied the venue, stating that it would disrupt traffic at the busy intersection in the heart of the city. "Whether they celebrate July 21 in 10 places or 100 places is not our concern, but the general public should not face any inconvenience," Paul told reporters in Asansol.

"If they want to celebrate it, they should do so at the Brigade Parade Ground. Even Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has mentioned this. We also want to see how much strength you actually have," she said. The minister also accused the TMC of appropriating the July 21 commemoration from the Congress.

"If Mamata Banerjee truly wants to observe the July 21 Martyrs' Day, she should release the Commission of Inquiry report. Instead of punishing those who fired the bullets and killed people back then, she has made them ministers," Paul alleged.

What is July 21 rally?

On July 21, 1993, 13 people allegedly died in police firing on a Youth Congress rally led by Banerjee.

Mamata, who left the Congress in December 1997 and formed the TMC, has been observing the day with mega rallies. The rallies had become a show of her party's organisational strength over the years, while the Congress continued to mark the day with comparatively low-key programmes.

The rally traces its origins to the July 21, 1993 police firing during the then Youth Congress's march to Writers' Buildings in which 13 people were killed, an episode that became the defining political moment of Mamata Banerjee's career and, after the TMC was formed in 1998, evolved into the party's biggest annual political event.

Three decades later, the irony is unmistakable. The leader who transformed July 21 into the emotional and political centrepiece of the TMC now finds herself outside the organisation that claims to be the "real" party.