A Kolkata Municipal Corporation earthmover was brought to the Jadavpur University area on Saturday evening to remove book stalls associated with the CPM and AISA, triggering a confrontation over police permissions, civic authorisation and the use of public space during Durga Puja.
The earthmover was sent by the KMC’s solid waste management department after police allegedly informed the civic body that the stalls had been installed without the required police permission. A KMC solid waste department official said permission for such stalls is issued on the condition that police approval is obtained at the same time.
“The police have informed us that their permission was not taken. So, we were asked to mow down the stalls,” the official said. The official added that several stalls had been established after obtaining civic permission. The KMC indicated that similar action could also be taken against stalls in Patuli, Bansdroni and Gobra.
The episode centred on stalls near the 8B bus stand, where Left-affiliated organisations have traditionally sold books during the festive season. AISA state president Ritam Maji said the organisation had maintained a stall at the location for the past 10 years and had paid KMC taxes while following the required procedures.
Maji said the organisation had obtained what it considered to be the necessary permissions and completed all required intimations a month in advance. According to him, police and civic officials arrived without prior notice and attempted to remove the stalls. He said the earthmover did not proceed after resistance from people present at the site.
Maji also alleged that officials claimed only a BJP stall had permission to remain. He said the organisation had shown its documents and tax receipts but that the administration had not provided a written order declaring its permissions invalid. These claims were made by Maji and were not independently established in the supplied report.
The dispute comes amid a wider controversy over political book stalls placed near puja venues across Bengal. Left parties have used such stalls for decades to sell Marxist literature, Bengali fiction and science books. Their banners have traditionally used terms such as “Sharodotsav”, or autumn festival, instead of explicitly referring to “Durga Puja”.
That terminology has drawn criticism from political opponents, including Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and other leaders, who have urged puja committees not to provide space to CPM stalls that avoid using the term “Durga Puja”. The disagreement has also become connected to legal disputes and differing interpretations of a recent court observation, according to the report.
For the civic administration, the immediate issue remains whether the stalls had both municipal and police permissions required for occupying the sites. For the organisations operating them, the action raises questions about notice, documentary verification and whether permissions granted by one authority are sufficient when another agency controls policing and public-order arrangements. The KMC’s proposed action at other locations will determine how the dispute develops across the city.
