East Bengal vs Mohun Bagan Durand Cup derby cancelled due to security concerns in wake of Kolkata rape case

The highly anticipated Durand Cup derby between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan scheduled for Wednesday (Aug 21) was unfortunately cancelled due to advice from local authorities. The decision to abandon the match came after police informed tournament organisers that they could not guarantee sufficient security for the 85,000-capacity stadium where the two Kolkata rivals were set to face off.

The major reason behind the decision came after the majority of the Kolkata police staff was employed to maintain law and order in the state capital. Earlier in the month a barbaric case of rape-murder in the RG Kar Medical College raised law and order issues as people took to the streets to protest in Kolkata.

As reported by India Today, the decision was informed to both sides verbally and will not take place. The fixture was originally scheduled for Sunday (Aug 18), with a huge crowd expected to attend the match.

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Kolkata Police and the Bidhannagar Police are tasked to look after the security during the local derby. Debashis Dutta, a top official of the Mohun Bagan club, stated that they were informed of the decision verbally.

"Unfortunately, the derby is abandoned for Sunday. We have been informed verbally, but no notification has been issued by the tournament committee. So, we are still waiting for further notice," Dutta told the masthead.

While the match remains cancelled it has not stopped the football clubs from coming together as all the three major clubs in Kolkata - Mohun Bagan, East Bengal and Mohammedan Sporting were seen together carrying a march in protest of the Kolkata rape-murder case. They united on Sunday after the Durand Cup match was cancelled and protested for strict action against the accused.