A confrontation over a Jadavpur book stall escalated on Saturday evening after a bulldozer was allegedly brought to remove a Communist Party of India (Marxist) stall near the 8B bus stand, according to a report by Sangbad Pratidin. People carrying books reportedly gathered at the site and stopped the machine, while police and central forces surrounded the stall.
The incident took place during the seventh evening of the Durga Puja period, when temporary book stalls run by Left parties were reportedly operating at several locations across Kolkata and adjoining areas. The Jadavpur stall, described in the report as the CPI(M)’s largest, had become the centre of a dispute over permissions and its continued operation.
According to the report, police arrived on Saturday evening and sought to inspect the stall’s permission documents. This led to an argument with party workers. As the gathering grew, representatives of publishing organisations associated with the books at the stall were asked to come to the site. The police later moved back after the gathering formed, but CPI(M) leader Sudip Sengupta said workers feared that the stall could be dismantled during the night. Party members arranged to guard it overnight, the report said.
The dispute is part of a wider series of allegations concerning temporary Left book stalls in Kolkata and North 24 Parganas. The CPI(M) alleged that stalls had been attacked or obstructed at several locations, including Kasba, Dhakuria, Haltu and Baguiati. The party also alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party was responsible for some of the incidents. Those allegations were reported by Sangbad Pratidin and were not independently verified in the supplied material.
At Dhakuria, the report said, a Communist Party of India book stall outside the State Bank of India had been dismantled by police on Friday. The Students’ Unity Centre of India, or SUCI, separately alleged that police and municipal officials arrived at a book stall near Babubagan, close to Dhakuria station, at about 5pm without prior notice and removed it. The organisation said it had operated a stall at the location for more than 15 years.
The report also carried an allegation concerning Jagatpur in Baguiati, where SUCI workers said people identified by them as BJP supporters threw books into a nearby canal, pushed workers and issued threats. The account was presented as an allegation and no independent confirmation or response from the BJP was included in the supplied report.
CPI(M) state secretary Mohammad Salim said the government was immersed in the festival while restricting Left book stalls and failing to stand with vulnerable people. He said large numbers of people were still visiting the stalls despite the reported obstacles. The supplied report did not include a response from the police, municipal authorities or the BJP to the allegations.
The immediate issue remains whether the Jadavpur stall will be allowed to continue and whether police or municipal officials will take further action. The party’s planned overnight watch was the next stated step in the dispute.
