A proposed demolition of a CPM book stall near Kolkata’s Jadavpur 8B bus stand was halted late on Saturday after party supporters formed a human chain in front of an excavator and challenged police and Kolkata Municipal Corporation officials to show a demolition order.
The stall was one of four temporary book-selling structures near the busy bus stand. An organisation claiming allegiance to the BJP had set up a stall there for the first time, while book stalls operated by the rights group Association for Protection of Democratic Rights and the All India Students’ Association were also present.
A joint team from Jadavpur police station and the KMC arrived at the site with a contingent of central forces to remove the CPM structure. Supporters holding books and party flags stood in front of the excavator and shouted slogans asking it to leave. Another group formed a human chain around the stall and said they would not permit its demolition.
The police said the CPM had not obtained permission from Calcutta Police headquarters to establish the stall. A senior police officer cited permission-related concerns and said the structures were affecting traffic at the key junction. The officer also said party officials could not produce an official order or clearance authorising the stall.
CPM state committee member Sudip Sengupta told the officers and civic officials that the excavator would have to pass over the supporters before the stall could be demolished. The stall had been inaugurated on October 13 by CPM veteran Biman Bose.
CPM leader Sujan Chakraborty disputed the police account and asked officials to produce the demolition order. He said the party had held discussions with the police before setting up the stall and had informed them in writing, as it had done in previous years. Chakraborty also said police officers were present during the inauguration, the party had paid tax to the KMC and the CESC had installed an electricity meter at the site.
The dispute highlights the administrative complications around temporary structures at a major transport junction, where civic permissions, police clearances, electricity connections and traffic management overlap. The police position, as reported, focused on the absence of permission from police headquarters and the effect of the stalls on traffic. The CPM’s position was that prior communication, municipal tax payment and utility installation indicated that the stall had not been established without official knowledge.
The police asked the CPM to close the stall for the day so that the matter could be considered on Sunday. Chakraborty rejected the request and asked supporters to sing the national anthem. Police personnel remained deployed at the location until late at night, while CPM supporters guarded the stall and customers continued to buy books.
The immediate next step is the decision on the stall’s status expected on Sunday, after the police and civic authorities review the permission dispute.
