Kolkata residents march to defend bookstalls amid festival tensions

A significant gathering brought together residents from across Kolkata's social and political spectrum on Wednesday to voice opposition against assaults on bookstalls during the Durga Puja season. The march, organized without formal political branding, drew citizens, university professors, civil society activists and representatives from multiple political parties who united around a shared concern for public safety and cultural preservation.

The demonstration was mounted in response to a series of incidents in which bookstalls—traditional fixtures of Kolkata's festival landscape—came under attack. Organizers attributed the violence to right-wing groups, citing what they characterized as coordinated efforts to disrupt the city's longstanding literary culture during one of its most important celebrations.

Participants carried placards and chanted slogans emphasizing the importance of protecting public spaces dedicated to books and learning. The cross-party nature of the gathering highlighted rare consensus among otherwise divided political voices on the need to safeguard cultural institutions from violence.

The march reflected broader anxieties among sections of Kolkata's intelligentsia and civil society regarding the safety of secular public spaces and freedom of cultural expression. Officials have registered complaints related to the incidents, though the march organizers stressed their focus remained on advocacy rather than partisan politics.