Earlier in the day, the police had imposed Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) outside the venue, before the protesting fans were detained.
However, despite the cancellation of the derby match and threat of police action, the fans chose to unite for the cause, regardless of their differences on the pitch.
“We are first Indians. Before Mohun Bagan and East Bengal, we are Indians. Atrocity has happened against Indian woman. We were protesting peacefully here…But the police started a lathi charge…,” a football supporter protesting at the venue said news agency ANI.
Terming this a ‘Black Day’ for Kolkata Maidan, Prasenjit Sarkar, president of the Mariners’ Base Camp, Ultras Mohun Bagan said fans from both the clubs joined together for “one common cause: justice for RG Kar victim”.
“The government has dealt a severe blow to football by calling off the derby. The government’s action has shown a desire to impose an autocratic rule, and we cannot stand by it silently,” another fan was quoted telling news agency PTI.
“Together, with tifos and banners, we will demand justice. We will not let our voices go unheard,” he added.
Showing discontent over the match being cancelled, All India Football Federation president Kalyan Chaubey said, “I myself had reached outside the stadium and several other football fans had also reached…It was for the first time that the supporters of East Bengal and Mohun Bagan were together…If half of the police that had reached there were deployed for the match, it could have been conducted…”
“I believe that football is not involved in any politics, it is above all religion, caste. I am fully confident that if you organize the match here, there will be no ruckus, no unrest in the football ground,” he added.