Kolkata Police stopped a Trinamool Congress-backed march from Rajabazar to Park Circus on Tuesday after saying that the procession had not received permission, while the party accused the authorities of blocking its protest against the Centre.
The march was called by the Kalighat Trinamool Congress and began from the Rajabazar area. According to the report, police stopped the procession a short distance from its starting point. Mamata Banerjee was expected to participate, but she had not joined the march when the report was published.
Kolkata Police Commissioner Ajay Nanda said the police had no information about the procession and that social media posts could not be treated as confirmation of an authorised event. He said action would be taken according to law. The police position placed the march within the city’s larger system of permissions, route management and public-order planning, particularly when a procession is expected to move through busy neighbourhoods.
The march followed protests by opposition parties in Delhi demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The parties have alleged irregularities in elections linked to the Special Intensive Revision, or SIR, of electoral rolls. Rahul Gandhi has also approached the Supreme Court seeking its intervention in the matter, according to the report.
The Kalighat Trinamool Congress campaign material accused the Centre of suppressing democratic voices and referred to the detention of Mamata Banerjee in Delhi and alleged mistreatment of younger people. The organisers appealed to citizens to join the protest and indicated that similar programmes had been communicated to district units across West Bengal.
TMC MLA Kunal Ghosh led the procession after it was stopped. He said a large number of central forces and police personnel had been deployed and claimed that the authorities had prevented the march from proceeding. Ghosh described the protest as successful despite the stoppage and said the action showed that the Centre was under pressure.
The dispute also followed a warning from Suvendu Adhikari on Monday night. He said that disruption during Durga Puja would not be allowed and that central forces could be deployed if necessary. He also warned that the procession would not be permitted to move forward. The report did not provide details of any formal order or written notice authorising the deployment of central forces.
The immediate outcome was that the march did not travel the planned Rajabazar–Park Circus route. Police said they would proceed according to law, while the organisers maintained that the action was part of a broader campaign against the Centre. Further programmes were expected in districts, although the report did not specify their dates, routes or permission status.
