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As the row over alleged harassment of Bengali-speaking migrants in various states grows in the run-up to the West Bengal Assembly polls, the issue seems to have also stirred up Kolkata’s famed sporting arena with a section of football fans now using the stadium space to highlight it.
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Last Saturday, during a match between Mohun Bagan Super Giant and Diamond Harbour FC in the current Durand Cup tournament, several supporters of Mohun Bagan unfurled a large banner at the stands of the Salt Lake stadium, which showed lines from a Tagore song: “Bangalir pon, Bangalir asha, Bangalir kaj, Bangalir bhasha – Satya houk, Satya houk, Satya houk hey Bhogoban (The honour of Bengali, hope of Bengali, work of Bengali, language of Bengali – let it be true, let it be true, let it be true, oh God!).” Mohun Bagan routed the DHFC 5-1 to clinch a quarter-final berth.
At the same venue three days earlier, during a Durand Cup’s group league match, East Bengal’s supporters displayed a tifo in Bangla, which read: “Yesterday, we were hanged fighting for India’s freedom. And today, for speaking our mother tongue, we become Bangladeshi?” East Bengal FC edged out its rival Namdhari SA 1-0 in the match.
Setting the tone for the Bengal polls slated for early 2026, the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, has accused the BJP dispensation of “unleashing terror on Bangla” and “detaining” Bengali migrants in the BJP-ruled states by labelling them “Bangladeshis”. It has also accused them of “pushing into Bangladesh” several of these migrants.
This is not the first time that the Kolkata football fans have used the stadium space to send their messages over burning political issues.
Last year, in the wake of massive public outrage and doctors’ agitation over the rape-and-murder of a junior doctor in Kolkata’s R G Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9, the state administration had called off a Kolkata derby clash between Mohun Bagan and East Bengal on August 17. On that day, thousands of supporters of the city’s three football giants – Mohun Bagan, East Bengal and Mohammedan Sporting – took to the streets outside the Salt Lake stadium to protest against the R G Kar incident and demand justice for the victim’s family.
Mohun Bagan captain Subhasish Bose was among the prominent faces who joined this protest. “The RG Kar incident was absolutely horrific and mind- numbing, but the details coming out along with the authorities’ attempts to hide the truth and silence the people is beyond shocking,’’ Bose had then said, also tweeting the pictures of the protest event.
Kolkata’s football stadiums have always had a culture of tifos and banners with political messages. During the countrywide 2019-2020 agitation against the CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act)-NRC (National Register of Citizens), several fans’ associations had also held protests, with their posters and banners calling for inclusivity and adherence to the constitutional values. “Rakta diye kena mati, kagoj diye noi (we have acquired this land with blood, not papers),” stated one of the tifos displayed then during a Kolkata derby of the Indian Super League (ISL), the highest-level football league in the country.
Both Mohun Bagan and East Bengal were known for their nationalistic credentials during India’s freedom movement, even as their traditional rivalry has also dated back to pre-Partition days with Mohun Bagan dubbed a club of “Ghotis” (Bengalis from present-day West Bengal) and East Bengal called a club of “Bangals” (those with roots in Bangladesh).
During the colonial rule, Mohun Bagan became the first Indian club to win the IFA Shield tournament, which was always dominated by the British teams, by defeating the East Yorkshire regiment in 1911. That victory marked a historic moment for Indian football as well the freedom struggle.
In recent decades, the ruling parties of Bengal have been closely associated with the state’s football clubs, especially Kolkata’s “Big Three”.
Faced with the BJP’s stiff challenge ahead of the 2021 Assembly polls, Mamata had kicked off her campaign by calling it “Khela Hobe” (game is on), which became the TMC’s rallying cry, leading to the party’s resounding win for third consecutive time.
The TMC supremo has not been the first Bengal leader to gauge the massive appeal of football among the people of the state, especially the youth. During the previous Left Front government, veteran RSP leaders Jatin Chakraborty and Kshiti Goswami had been associated with all three top football clubs of Kolkata. During the TMC rule since 2011, however, the political patronage of this popular sport has risen to another level.
A senior East Bengal functionary said, “After TMC stormed to power in Bengal, it went out of its way to control the three major clubs – East Bengal, Mohun Bagan and Mohammedan Sporting – which never happened before. TMC also started using them for its campaigning.”
Mamata has herself emerged as a leading patron of football in the state at all levels, ranging from local tournaments to top clubs. Since 2020, she has helped find sponsors for East Bengal twice, enabling the team to play the ISL.
Mohun Bagan secretary Srinjoy Bose, former TMC MP, and East Bengal’s top official Debabrata Sarkar were arrested by the CBI in the alleged Saradha chit fund scam in 2014, in which TMC spokesman Kunal Ghosh is the main accused.
Commenting on football fans’ attempts to project the issues related to the Bengali identity and language, Debabrata Sarkar told The Indian Express, “East Bengal club was established to protest such things. People who became refugees and came from eastern part of Bengal formed the East Bengal club. So, such protests are not new for us. Our supporters recently protested against atrocities on minorities in Bangladesh too. East Bengal club always rallies for suppressed people and Bengali sentiments and will maintain this stand.”
Mohun Bagan president Debashish Dutta told the Express: “Mohan Bagan or East Bengal are part of our society, and our fans reflect its concerns. Tifo culture is also not new in Bengal. So, a section of our supporters hold protest through posters, choosing the playground as their protest venue.”
A Mohun Bagan supporter Suranjan Mukherjee said: “After R G Kar incident, when a derby match was cancelled, ten thousand supporters of the three major clubs held a protest, who were lathicharged by the police. Mohun Bagan and East Bengal fans had then united, which was never seen before.”
An East Bengal fans club’s representative Sumit Talukdar said, “East Bengal club’s inception was rooted in a cause. Such protests are not considered unique in global football, as many club fans pitch various political issues in the ground through such tifos.” He added, “Currently, several of those who had migrated from East Bengal are facing a challenge, with our language Bangla also coming under pressure. So we think, if we don’t protest now, we would not be able to face our next generation.”
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