Durand Cup should return to Maidan, demands the big three of Kolkata

The three century-plus old football clubs of Kolkata -- Mohun Bagan, East Bengal and Mohammedan Sporting -- came together for the first time on Tuesday to demand justice for the R G Kar Hospital rape and murder victim and also made an appeal to bring back the Durand Cup tournament to the city.

Sunday's Durand Cup derby between Mohun Bagan and East Bengal at Salt Lake Stadium was cancelled fearing "security concerns" in the wake of the widespread protests against the alleged rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.

Despite the "abandonment", thousands of fans from the three clubs came together for the first time as violent protests erupted outside the Salt Lake Stadium, forcing the police to resort to lathicharge before detaining several supporters.

Two days after the incident, the three clubs' secretaries -- Debasish Dutta (Mohun Bagan), Rupak Saha (East Bengal) and Ishtiaq Ahmed (Mohammedan Sporting) -- addressed a joint media ...