The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has lodged at least 10 police complaints in Kolkata over alleged attacks, threats and attempts to stop book stalls from being set up outside puja pandals, while Left parties have demanded protection and a clear permitting process during the festive season.
According to the report, the complaints were filed over the past three days after decorators preparing stalls were allegedly threatened or prevented from installing them. The complaints relate to incidents in several parts of Kolkata and nearby areas, including Behala, Dum Dum, Kasba, Tangra, New Alipore and Beleghata.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist) said stalls had been vandalised at multiple locations. SUCI(C) reported that its Sharadiya book stalls in Tangra, Behala, Howrah, Behrampore, Bishnupur and Radhakantapur were damaged, with banners torn and books destroyed. Party senior Tapan Mukherjee was reportedly injured during an attack in Tangra.
CPM district committee secretary Kallol Majumdar said decorators had been threatened and that attempts were made to ransack stalls in Behala, Dum Dum and Kasba. A stall in Kasba was reportedly ransacked on Thursday morning, after which party workers restored it by evening and inaugurated it immediately, according to Majumdar.
The dispute has also involved permissions and police action. Police allegedly shut down or denied permits for stalls in Baranagar, Regent Park and Beleghata. In a separate incident on Friday, police dismantled a book stall in Ahiritala, saying it did not have the required permission.
The competing claims place the management of temporary public-space structures at the centre of the dispute. Puja pandal areas often involve short-term installations, crowd movement and local permissions, making decisions over access and enforcement significant for organisers, political groups, vendors and visitors. The report did not provide details of the permission applications, the authorities responsible for issuing them or the status of the police complaints.
Several Left leaders addressed a news conference on Friday and criticised the alleged attacks. CPM state secretary Mohammed Selim appealed to the police and administration to act against those accused of ransacking stalls and setting fire to structures. He also called for what he described as a level playing field for different groups to propagate their views during the festive season.
“We appeal to police to act against them, those who are ransacking stalls, setting fire to the structures. Police and the administration must provide level playing field so that all can propagate their thoughts and ideology. We would want an atmosphere of amity and unity to exist during the festive season,” Selim said, according to the report.
Selim said the party would resist attempts to stop the stalls and warned that its members could take to the streets if the alleged obstruction continued. He also said the party would march again to the Election Commission office on November 5, after the pujas, although the report did not specify the issue connected to that planned action.
The police and administration had not, in the supplied report, publicly responded to the CPM and SUCI(C) allegations beyond the stated action against the Ahiritala stall for lacking permission. The status of the complaints and any investigation into the reported attacks remains unclear.
