Kolkata, Aug 3 (INAS) Social activists Swami Agnivesh and Medha Patkar will attend the Aug 9 meeting at Maoist-affected Lalgarh to be addressed by Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee under the banner of an apolitical forum – ‘Santrash Birodhi Mancha’ (Anti Atrocities Platform).
Sujato Bhadra, human right activist and general secretary of Association for Protection of Democratic Rights (APDR), Tuesday said Swami Agnivesh and Medha Patkar would attend the rally under the banner of the Forum for Peace, Justice and Democracy.
The forum decided to attend the meeting supporting the issues raised by Banerjee, under the Santrash Birodhi Mancha, said Bhadra, who is also a forum member.
Forum convenor Choton Das said: ‘On Monday we received the invitation from the Trinamool Congress, requesting us to join the meeting. We have accepted it and will be there to attend the meeting.’
‘We will demand withdrawal of Section 144 of the CrPC (Criminal Procedure Code that bans assembly of more than five persons at a time), imposed in the Lalgarh belt for more than a year,’ said Das.
Earlier, West Bengal Congress chief Manas Bhuniya welcomed Banerjee’s decision to hold the meeting under the banner of an apolitical forum and said if the party was extended a formal invitation, it would consider participation.
Banerjee had earlier announced that the meeting would be organised by her party, but changed her decision to rope in intellectuals, social activists and tribals.
