BARRICADES BEFORE THE FIRST STEP: SUVENDU ADHIKARI’S ORDER STOPS MAMATA’S PROTEST MARCH IN KOLKATA
October 14, 2026
A planned Trinamool Congress protest demanding the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar was halted almost immediately on Tuesday after Kolkata Police erected barricades at Rajabazar, preventing party leaders and supporters from beginning their proposed march towards Park Circus. The confrontation followed an explicit warning from West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari that the procession would not be allowed to proceed, intensifying the political battle over the detention of former chief minister Mamata Banerjee during demonstrations in New Delhi.
The rally, organised by the Trinamool Congress’s student wing, was expected to be led by Banerjee but ultimately proceeded without her participation. Instead, party leaders Kunal Ghosh, Dola Sen and Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay led supporters who had gathered at Rajabazar. Police barricades stopped the procession just metres from its intended starting point, forcing the participants to stage a sit-in at the blockade.
The proposed march was intended to demand Kumar’s resignation over alleged irregularities in the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. It was also planned as a protest against Banerjee’s detention in Delhi during opposition demonstrations challenging the conduct of the electoral-roll revision exercise.
The police action followed instructions issued by Adhikari during a Durga Puja inauguration on Park Street on Monday. The chief minister had publicly directed the Kolkata Police commissioner to ensure that the procession did not proceed even a single step from Rajabazar, adding that central forces could be deployed if necessary. He argued that the government would not permit disturbances during Durga Puja.
Adhikari also criticised the organisers’ choice of route, which passes through some of Kolkata’s oldest Muslim neighbourhoods. His remarks added a further political dimension to the controversy surrounding the proposed march and the authorities’ decision to stop it.
Kolkata Police Commissioner Ajay Kumar Nand subsequently defended the administration’s position, saying the organisers had not obtained the necessary clearance or formally informed the police of the proposed procession. He said that public demonstrations had to follow established procedures and that the police could not make decisions based solely on posters or informal publicity.
Nand warned that an unannounced procession could cause serious traffic congestion and said organisers were required to submit a written application seeking permission. According to the commissioner, the administration had no official intimation of the rally before the planned gathering.
The Trinamool Congress disputed the way the police handled the situation. Addressing party workers at Rajabazar, Beleghata MLA Kunal Ghosh accused the state administration of attempting to intimidate the organisers through an extensive security deployment. He said the party had refused to be provoked and described its decision to remain peaceful despite the blockade as a victory.
Rajya Sabha MP Dola Sen also criticised the restrictions, arguing that deploying water cannons and central forces against a relatively small procession of students and young people was excessive. She accused the authorities of using the Durga Puja period as a justification for suppressing political expression.
The episode has also renewed Trinamool criticism of what it describes as repeated barriers to organising demonstrations, with party leaders arguing that they are frequently forced to seek judicial intervention to exercise their right to peaceful assembly.
Banerjee’s absence from the march became another point of discussion as the confrontation unfolded. Although she had been expected to lead the procession, she did not participate. Speculation that she might issue a statement through a Facebook Live session also failed to materialise.
The dispute comes amid a wider political confrontation over the SIR exercise and demands for Kumar’s resignation. Trinamool Congress leaders have accused the Election Commission of irregularities in electoral-roll revision, while the BJP and the poll panel have rejected allegations of deliberate electoral manipulation. The recent detention of opposition leaders and protesters in Delhi has further sharpened the divide.
Tuesday’s developments expose the competing claims at the heart of the dispute. The police maintain that the rally could not proceed because the organisers had failed to follow the prescribed permission procedure, while the Trinamool Congress portrays the barricades as a politically motivated attempt to silence dissent.
With the procession stopped before it could begin, the controversy has shifted from the demands raised by the demonstrators to the authorities’ handling of the right to protest during the festive season. The incident has intensified political tensions in Kolkata, leaving unresolved questions over whether the organisers will seek fresh permission, pursue legal remedies or announce another demonstration against the chief election commissioner.
