A protest march organised by the Trinamool Congress faction aligned with Mamata Banerjee was stopped by Kolkata Police after authorities said the procession from Rajabazar to Park Circus had not received permission. The march began on Tuesday, October 13, but was halted a short distance from its starting point, according to Sangbad Pratidin – Kolkata.
The procession was called by the Kalighat Trinamool Congress amid opposition protests over Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and allegations related to the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. A campaign leaflet circulated by the party called for public mobilisation against what it described as the suppression of democratic voices by the Centre.
Kolkata Police Commissioner Ajay Nanda said the police had no information about the march beyond social-media posts. “There is no information about the march. Nothing can be said based on social-media posts,” he said, according to the report. He added that action would be taken in accordance with the law.
The march was scheduled to travel from Rajabazar to Park Circus. Police stopped the procession after it began, while a large deployment of police and central forces was reported in the area. Kunal Ghosh, a Trinamool Congress legislator who led the march, said the protesters had been stopped and claimed that the mobilisation had nevertheless succeeded. His remarks were reported by the source and were not independently verified in the supplied material.
The planned procession followed protests in Delhi demanding the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner. The report said opposition parties had accused Kumar of irregularities linked to the electoral-roll revision process. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has also approached the Supreme Court on the issue, according to the report.
The Kolkata protest was promoted as part of a broader campaign against the Centre. The leaflet referred to the reported detention of Mamata Banerjee in Delhi and alleged mistreatment of younger people. It appealed to residents to join the movement and indicated that similar programmes had been communicated to district-level party units.
Mamata Banerjee was expected to participate in the Kolkata march but had not appeared at the time covered by the report. The report also quoted a warning attributed to Suvendu Adhikari that disorder would not be allowed during the Durga Puja period and that central forces could be deployed if necessary. The supplied report does not provide an official order or written police notice detailing the permission decision, the exact legal provisions invoked or the next permitted route for the protesters.
