Left parties allege attack on bookstalls; Calcutta High Court stays previous order allowing stalls

By The Hindu Staff

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Left parties allege attack on bookstalls; Calcutta High Court stays previous order allowing stalls — Photo credit: The Hindu

Inauguration of a bookstall by the CPI (M) in West Bengal. | Photo Credit: CPI(M) West Bengal/Facebook

A day after the Calcutta High Court allowed the Communist Party of India (Marxist) to set up their bookstalls outside Durga Puja pandals, party members alleged that several of their stalls were attacked and vandalised. Leaders of the Left Front on Friday (October 16) called it an attack on free thinking.

However, a division Bench of the Calcutta High Court on Friday stayed the single Bench’s Thursday order which allowed the temporary bookstalls to be set up.

“To develop a democratic and free society, people must read diverse books and build diverse opinions. But this time we have seen the government cracking down on our stalls. The Chief Minister intervened in this, but this is not the government’s job,” Mohammad Salim, West Bengal State secretary of the CPI(M), said.

Mr. Salim added that no government can stop books, and that they will, as a form of protest, set up more bookstalls than usual. “The books are just an excuse; they actually want to crackdown on anything related to education and culture. They have declared war on these creative fields,” Mr. Salim said.

Originally published by The Hindu on Oct 17, 2026 Read the full article at thehindu.com

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