A CPM book stall set up for Durga Puja near the 8B bus stand in Kolkata’s Jadavpur area was surrounded by central forces and police on Saturday evening as a team from the Kolkata Municipal Corporation arrived to demolish it. The stall had been set up four days earlier.
CPM state committee member Sudip Sengupta said the party had obtained the necessary permissions from Kolkata Police and the civic body, along with approval for the electricity used at the stall.
“We have permission from the Kolkata Police, the corporation and for the electricity consumed at the stall,” Sengupta said. He alleged that officials had arrived to remove the stall after the court went on vacation.
At the time of filing this report, CPM central committee member Sujan Chakraborty, Nandini Chakraborty, party supporters and students from Jadavpur University had gathered around the stall.
Book stalls run by Left parties, including the CPM, CPI (ML) Liberation and SUCI (Communist), have been a feature of Durga Puja celebrations in West Bengal for more than five decades.
The Jadavpur incident came hours after a similar operation in nearby Dhakuria, where a Kolkata Municipal Corporation team, accompanied by police personnel, demolished a book stall at Raja Subodh Mullick Square.
Row Over Left Parties’ Durga Puja Book Stalls
The controversy surrounding the stalls began at least a month before Durga Puja, following a warning issued by West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari to Left parties.
“You consider Sanatan Dharma to be merely cultural. You do not say Durga Puja; You call it ‘Sharadotsab’. I will tell all Durga Puja committees that if these so-called communists come to set up stalls and do not write Durga Puja, do not allow a single stall,” Adhikari had said.
As the festival approached, several book stalls, particularly in district areas, reportedly came under attack even before the books had arrived.
The CPM’s Bongaon unit approached the court seeking permission to set up a stall. Although a lower court granted permission, the Calcutta High Court stayed the order.
Left Parties Question Demolition Of Book Stalls
Book stalls in wards 113 and 114 under Jadavpur were also targeted on Friday, according to the report.
CPI leader Prabir Deb, a Dhakuria resident, said the party had been running its stall for 49 years and had informed the local police station every year. He added that the party had also written to a joint commissioner of Kolkata Police this year and received no objection.
“Our stall was demolished on Friday. The CPM and the Liberation’s stall were demolished today. Why can’t we sell books?” Deb asked.
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