A series of disputes over Left parties’ book stalls during Durga Puja in West Bengal have led to legal challenges and threats of violence.
On Saturday, a bulldozer dispatched by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation to remove a Communist Party of India (Marxist) book stall in Jadavpur was met with resistance from party workers, residents, and students. The stall had been set up four days earlier and was protected by those opposed to its removal.
According to The Telegraph, police and central forces were present during the confrontation. Sudip Sengupta, a Communist Party of India (Marxist) state committee member, claimed that officials arrived to clear the site after the court went on vacation.
The incident is not an isolated case. On Thursday, another CPI(M) book stall in the state’s North 24 Parganas district was allegedly vandalised and set on fire by unidentified people, PTI reported. The stall was located in the Palashi Majhipara area of Bijpur.
Communist Party of India leader Prabir Deb, a Dhakuria resident, said the party had been setting up its book stall in Dhakuria for 49 years and had informed the local police station every year. 'Why can’t we sell books?', he asked.
Book stalls run by the CPI(M), the CPI, and the Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation have faced opposition and attacks across West Bengal in the weeks leading up to Durga Puja, The Hindu reported. The parties say they have traditionally informed local police about their stalls and paid the required fees to the civic body. However, the authorities have disputed whether some stalls had the necessary permissions, according to Alt News.
The dispute follows Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari’s September 10 call for Durga Puja committees to deny space to such stalls if they use the term ‘Sharodotsav’ or autumn festival instead of Durga Puja. Left parties have long set up book stalls during the festival, selling books on politics, literature, and other subjects.
The controversy has reached the Calcutta High Court. On Friday, a division bench of the Calcutta High Court stayed an earlier order allowing the CPI(M) to set up a book stall near its party office in Bongaon, preventing it from operating during the remaining days of Durga Puja. The state government had challenged the single-judge order issued on Thursday, which directed that the party be allowed to set up the stall within 100 metres of its intended location.
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