Sights & Sounds of Huge Anti-ABVP Rally by Jadavpur Univ Students

From a banner quoting Ravish Kumar to a song from an iconic Satyajit Ray film, here are the highlights of the rally.

A protest banner quoting Ravish Kumar’s Ramon Magsaysay Award acceptance speech.

(Photo: Meghnad Bose/The Quint)

On the evening of Friday, 20 September, thousands of students at Kolkata’s Jadavpur University joined a massive anti-ABVP protest rally against the violence, vandalism and arson that had taken place in and around their campus the previous day.

From a protest banner quoting Ravish Kumar to a song from an iconic Satyajit Ray film, here are some of the memorable sights and sounds from the rally, which began from JU and wound its way through the city streets, before tracing its route back to the university.

The banner in the picture below reads, “Protest rally against Fascist conspiracies and terror.”

On the streets of Kolkata.(Photo: Meghnad Bose/The Quint)

Protesters Quote Ravish Kumar

One of the large banners held up by the protesting students quoted veteran journalist Ravish Kumar's Ramon Magsaysay Award acceptance speech, “Not all battles are fought for victory. Some are fought to tell the world that someone was there on the battlefield.”

A line from Ravish Kumar’s Ramon Magsaysay Award acceptance speech.(Photo: Meghnad Bose/The Quint)

Song From Satyajit Ray’s Film Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne

The protesters also took to singing ‘O re Halla Raja’r Shena’, a song from Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne, an iconic Satyajit Ray film.

The chorus being sung in the video below reads, “O re Halla Rajar’s shena, tora juddho kore korbi ki ta bol (O, the Halla King's army, what will you gain by waging war on us?)”

The Turnout Timelapse

A Sea of People

At the starting point of the rally in the Jadavpur University campus, shortly before it began.

Flashlights on.

Strength in numbers.