The demand that prompted the Youth Congress march led by Mamata Banerjee, then heading the party's state youth unit, on 21 July 1993 in what was Calcutta was ahead of its time. With the Left Front government firmly in the saddle since 1977, the Youth Congress accused it of perfecting the art of 'scientifically rigging' elections and demanded the introduction of photo identity cards for voters to ensure free and fair elections.

It was a reasonable demand, and the Election Commission of India (ECI) introduced the Electors' Photo Identity Card (EPIC) programme in the mid-1990s. It was rolled out across the country by 2004. The issue was for the ECI to address, but the Youth Congress decided to march to Writers' Building, then the state secretariat, to press the demand. Then chief minister Jyoti Basu and the Left Front government, for reasons known only to them, declared that the procession would not be allowed to converge at Writers'.

Multiple roads converge at Writers' Building, though the secretariat has since shifted across the river to Nabanna in Howrah. Built in 1777, Writers' Building initially housed junior clerks of the British East India Company. After Independence, it continued to accommodate key government departments, including the offices of the chief minister and other ministers.

The Youth Congress, led by Mamata Banerjee, sought to catch the police off guard by opting against one large procession. Instead, it planned scores of smaller processions approaching from........

© National Herald