Why are book stalls set up by Left parties at Durga Puja Pandals being attacked in West Bengal? Explained

Left-party book stalls at Durga Puja pandals have faced attacks in Kolkata and district areas. Police have also denied permission for some temporary stalls. The targets include stalls run by the CPI(M), CPI and SUCI(C), along with non-political groups such as the Association for Protection of Democratic Rights. The issue matters because these stalls combine public reading, political ideas and festival space.

On October 17, supporters of Left parties formed a human chain around a Jadavpur stall. Civic authorities and police had tried to remove it with a bulldozer. In Bongaon, police refusal led the CPI(M) to approach the Calcutta High Court. The court initially ordered the State government to permit the stall, but that order was later stayed.

The attacks continued despite objections from BJP and RSS leaders. The conflict now reflects a wider political contest in West Bengal, where the ruling side's approach to festival spaces is being challenged in court and by rival voices within its own camp.

A Durga Puja pandal is a temporary structure built for the festival's celebrations and public gatherings. In West Bengal, pandals attract people from surrounding communities. That makes them important public spaces beyond the ritual programme itself. Book stalls placed there can reach readers who may not visit party offices or ordinary bookshops.

The Left parties have maintained this tradition for decades. Swapan Dasgupta said he had seen such stalls for 30-40 years. The CPI(M) and other Left parties do not directly associate themselves with Durga Puja's ritual aspects. Still, their stalls allow them to popularise political ideas and engage with people during one of the State's biggest public festivals.

The dispute exists because the same public space carries both religious and civic meaning. Suvendu Adhikari argues that parties calling the event “Sharodotsav” should not sell books there. The Left sees the stalls as a way to participate in public life without endorsing the festival's ritual aspects.

The attacks and restrictions have been geographically broad. The article reports incidents at several places in West Bengal, including Kolkata and district areas. Police denied permission for temporary book stalls in several places. This shows that the dispute was not limited to one organiser, one party or one local authority. It affected both political and non-political groups.

Jadavpur provides the clearest example. On October 17, civic authorities and police attempted to raze a temporary Left book stall with a bulldozer. Supporters formed a human chain around it. In Bongaon, police denied permission to a CPI(M) stall, prompting court action. Stalls run by the APDR were also attacked.

The article does not provide a total count of attacks, denied permissions or affected stalls. It does, however, describe continuing attacks despite objections from BJP and RSS leaders. The spread across Kolkata and the districts, combined with administrative refusals, makes the issue a State-wide political and legal concern.

The government opposition is based on the Left parties' relationship with Durga Puja. Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari says parties that call the event “Sharodotsav” instead of recognising its religious significance should not run stalls at pandals. He has urged organisers to exclude them and said they should sell books from their party offices instead.

The Left parties view the stalls more broadly. They do not directly associate themselves with Durga Puja's ritual aspects, but they use the festival's public setting to meet people and distribute ideas. Their stalls are not only sales points. They are also a way to popularise political ideology and engage with people during one of West Bengal's biggest public festivals.

This creates a conflict over who may use shared festival spaces. Adhikari's position treats religious alignment as a condition for participation. The Left position treats the pandal as a place for wider public interaction. BJP and RSS leaders who opposed the attacks challenged the government's stance from within the broader ruling camp.

The Bongaon case began after police denied permission for a temporary CPI(M) book stall. The party approached the Calcutta High Court. On October 15, a single-judge Bench directed the State government to allow the stall. Justice Saugata Bhattacharyya said that sharing different political thoughts and ideologies strengthens democracy and helps make it more mature.

The judge also urged the ruling dispensation to create an atmosphere where people holding different political views could speak without hesitation. The State government challenged that decision before a division Bench. On October 16, Chief Justice Ravindra Vithalrao Ghuge and Justice Shabbar Rashidi stayed the single judge's order.

The result was a judicial pause rather than a final resolution of the wider dispute. The Bongaon order initially protected the stall, but the stay removed that immediate direction. When the CPI(M) later challenged police action at its Jadavpur stall, the vacation Bench dismissed the petition, saying the Bongaon matter had already been dealt with.

Continued attacks and restrictions could reduce opportunities for political competition in public spaces. Left parties use the stalls to share books, explain their ideology and meet people outside party offices. If access to pandals depends on supporting the ruling side's interpretation of Durga Puja, rival groups may have fewer peaceful ways to reach the public during a major festival.

The immediate mechanism is practical as well as political. Police can deny permission, and civic authorities can remove temporary structures, as happened at Jadavpur. That can interrupt the circulation of books and ideas. It may also discourage organisers, readers and non-political groups such as the APDR from participating in public discussion.

The article does not measure effects on education or reading. But continued restrictions would place cultural debate under greater political pressure and invite more court challenges. They could also expose divisions within the BJP and RSS, whose leaders opposed the attacks while the Chief Minister continued to reject Left-party stalls.

Different political groups need opportunities to express and distribute their views because democracy depends on public choice. People cannot compare programmes or ideologies if one side is prevented from reaching them. Open expression also lets citizens question powerful groups and develop informed opinions. The High Court connected this exchange directly with a stronger democratic system.

The Bongaon ruling provides the article's clearest example. Justice Saugata Bhattacharyya said that disseminating different political thoughts and ideologies helps make democracy more fruitful, deep-rooted and mature. He urged the ruling dispensation to create an atmosphere where people aligned with different ideologies could express themselves without hesitation.

The book-stall dispute shows why the principle matters in practice. A stall is a small physical space, but it can distribute books and create contact between organisations and the public. If police or civic authorities selectively restrict such spaces, political competition and public debate may narrow. The court proceedings and continuing disagreement show that this democratic question remains unresolved.