Visuals of the thriller man braving water cannons sparked a social media storm
New Delhi:
As Kolkata Police cracked down on protesters marching to state secretariat Nabanna over the rape and homicide of a 31-year-old physician in RG Kar Medical Faculty and Hospital, visuals of an aged man wearing purple, holding a nationwide flag and braving water cannons went viral.
Some questioned what an aged man was doing at a college students’ protest, others praised him for standing as much as the facility of a State for a trigger he believed in. Some mentioned he was a monk who hit the protest path to hunt justice for the rape-murder sufferer, others mentioned he was an RSS member and flagged communal remarks he allegedly made prior to now. From on-line posts slamming his ‘put on bangles’ outburst to memes picturing him as a ‘warrior’, the ‘thriller monk’ has taken social media by storm.
So who is that this thriller monk? Amid the social media storm, it has emerged that his identify is Prabir Bose, however he now calls himself Balaram Bose. He has labored as a photographer prior to now, in accordance with the data on his social media profiles. His Fb profile photograph, uploaded in 2013, reveals him posing with a digital camera and a cigarette, clear shaved and candid. He now sports activities a white beard, wears saffron and has spiritual markings on his brow. His profile has a number of social media posts that time to hyperlinks with ABVP and slam the Mamata Banerjee authorities.
Catapulted to in a single day fame, he posted a video assertion on his Fb profile yesterday. “I’m Balaram Bose. I used to be participant on this college students’ protest. I simply wish to attraction to you to not cease this motion. Please proceed this ‘Justice for RG Kar’ motion.”
He mentioned individuals had come to learn about him after a video went viral. “Some are projecting me as a villain, some as a hero. However I’m simply an unusual man, just like the hundreds of individuals on this motion. My solely message to the individuals is: persist on this motion for justice, irrespective of no matter narratives are created.”
Mr Bose wished for the swift restoration of protesters in addition to police personnel injured in Tuesday’s conflict. “However bear in mind, do not let this motion fade away. Preserve saying, ‘Justice for RG Kar’.”
One of many movies that went viral on the day of Nabanna Abhijaan, the ‘thriller man’ was heard telling the media, “They (police) ought to put on bangles and sit at residence. Additionally they have moms and sisters. Now we have come right here to protest in demand of girls’s security. We’re not carrying weapons, we’re solely holding the nationwide flag.”
His “put on bangles” prompted a wave of criticism, with many flagging how such gendered expressions can discover a place in a motion for ladies’s security. Others defended him, saying that he had at the very least stepped out for the trigger and braved water cannons and teargas.
Many requested what he was doing at a college students’ protest. Responding to this, Mr Bose instructed information company ANI, “The protest was introduced by college students and so they mentioned one particular person from every residence should be part of. I’ve ladies at residence, in my household. And I’m involved about their security. So I felt I have to be part of this protest.”
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On the video exhibiting him braving the water cannon, he mentioned, “I used to be decided that our voice ought to attain Nabanna. I used to be able to die for that. I used to be telling the cops to affix us.”
Requested about his saffron apparel and whether or not he has hyperlinks with any political get together, he replied, “I’m an Sanatani, if being Sanatani is a criminal offense, I’m a prison. This motion shouldn’t be influenced by any political get together. We simply need justice.”
Chaotic scenes performed out on streets resulting in the state secretariat throughout the ‘Nabanna Abhijan’ protest on Tuesday. Whereas the organisers had mentioned the march was deliberate by scholar organisations, the Trinamool alleged that it was a BJP-ABVP conspiracy to create unrest.