Kolkata, Aug 29 (IANS): The Kolkata Police on Tuesday came down heavily on protesters marching towards state Secretariat Nabanna in protest against the rape and murder of a junior doctor at the state-run R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital. Amid the police crack down, images of an elderly man dressed in red braving water cannons with a Tricolour in hand went viral on social media.
On Thursday, BJP IT Cell head and the party's central observer for West Bengal, Amit Malviya, called the viral 'monk' the most powerful image of protest in recent times.
“The most powerful image from the recent protests in West Bengal seeking justice for the rape and murder victim of R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital was the 'sanyasi' braving the monstrous water cannons of an oppressive Mamata Banerjee regime,” Malviya said in a statement posted on X.
According to the BJP leader, there is a reason for the image capturing the imagination of Bengal and the rest of the country, as it reminded of the state's rich legacy as the land of Hindu renaissance movements since the 18th century.
Malviya also said that there have been several instances of Bengal contributing to and leading revivalism in all streams of Hinduism.
“The reformist movements born in Bengal have centred around the Vedic and Upanishadic precepts of Sanatan Dharma. Bankim Chandra’s 'Anandamath' has to be seen in the context of the sanyasi rebellion, which had a profound impact on the Hindu Samaj. 'Vande Mataram', the song Bankim composed for 'Anandamath', became the mantra of Indian nationalism,” Malviya said.
He also pointed out that the concept of Hindu Mela started in Bengal which is the closest parallel to Ganesh Chathurthi. The Bhakti Movement also took birth in Bengal during the time of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, he added.
“Rani Rashmoni heralded a new phase of Hinduism with her Dakhshineswar temple, where Ramakrishna Paramahansa was the head priest. And his most famous follower was Swami Vivekananda, who went on to set up the Belur Math for monks of the Ramakrishna Mission,” Malviya said.
“That tradition lives on…” he added.
Coming back to the viral 'monk', while many are praising him for standing up against the state for a cause, some others are questioning what an elderly man like him was doing at a protest called by the students.
As per sources, it has emerged now that the 'monk's' name is Prabir Bose though he calls himself Balaram Bose.
As per his social media profiles, he worked as a photographer in the past. His Facebook profile pic uploaded in 2013 shows him posing with a camera.