Ujjal Biswas remembers the day that changed Bengal's political landscape

As Bengal gears up to mark the 32nd Martyrs' Day on 21 July, the day which has become the emotional and political cornerstone for the Trinamul Congress, many still carry the haunting memories of that fateful protest in 1993 when police bullets ripped through a sea of demonstrators at Dharmatala, leaving blood on the streets and scars in the collective conscience.

- TARUN GOSWAMI

For Ujjal Biswas, now the Minister of Science and Technology and Biotechnology in West Bengal, that day remains indelibly etched in memory—a day of both trauma and resolve, of death and defiance. Sitting in his office at his Krishnagar residence ahead of this year's observances, Biswas revisits that chapter of history with a rawness that remains undimmed even after three decades.

"21 July is not just a date. It's an emotion, a living history that reminds us why we fought, why we bled, and why we still stand with Mamata Banerjee. I was there, on the stage, when the firing began. I saw death descend in front of my eyes," he says, voice heavy with recollection.

Back in 1993, Biswas was not a minister. He was the Nadia District Youth Congress President, entrusted by Mamata Banerjee—then the fiery West Bengal Youth Congress chief—with the responsibility of mobilising large numbers for a political showdown against the Left Front government.

The protest's principal demand was for voter identity cards as the only valid proof for voting rights—a demand that rattled the CPI(M)-led government accused of rigging elections and clinging to power by suppressing democracy.

"The organisation in our district was strong. When Didi called upon us to bring people to the movement, I arranged nearly a hundred buses, several trucks, and lorries. From Chakdaha alone, we had prepared to bring in at least 15 truckloads of people. But the police machinery was already in motion—they intercepted, harassed, and vandalised our vehicles. Even then, we managed to reach Dharmatala with a mammoth procession," Biswas recounts.

He remembers the stage—a simple construction at the heart of the protest—where he was asked to preside over the rally alongside a senior leader from North 24 Parganas, whose name he no longer recalls. The speeches were underway when a ripple of panic spread across the crowd.