BOOKS BECOME THE BANNER OF RESISTANCE AS HUNDREDS MARCH THROUGH KOLKATA AGAINST BOOKSTALL ATTACKS
October 31, 2026
Hundreds of writers, intellectuals, academics, artists, students and book lovers took to the streets of Kolkata on Saturday, October 31, participating in a distinctive 'Walk for Books' march to protest alleged attacks and vandalism targeting bookstalls run by Left organisations during the recent Durga Puja festivities across West Bengal. The procession began at College Square, the historic centre of Kolkata's book culture, with participants carrying books of their choice instead of conventional political flags and party banners.
The demonstration was organised by members of civil society to express solidarity with bookstall organisers and defend the culture of reading, intellectual freedom and democratic expression. Several prominent personalities, including educationist Pabitra Sarkar, filmmaker Kamaleswar Mukherjee, actors Sabyasachi Chakraborty and Paran Bandyopadhyay, and former parliamentarian Jawhar Sircar, joined the initiative. Senior CPI(M) leaders, including Biman Bose and Sujan Chakraborty, also participated in the procession.
The protest followed reports of attacks, vandalism and attempts to dismantle temporary bookstalls operated by the Communist Party of India (Marxist), CPI, Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist), and other organisations during the Durga Puja celebrations. Incidents were reported from several locations, including Jadavpur, Entally, Ashoknagar and Nagerbazar. The controversy had also generated political disagreements over the presence of Left-affiliated bookstalls near Durga Puja pandals.
Unlike conventional political demonstrations, the march incorporated cultural performances, songs, poetry recitations and literary expressions. Participants carried books, portraits of eminent personalities and placards, transforming the procession into a public demonstration centred on literature and cultural freedom. Organisers sought to communicate that books, irrespective of their ideological content, should not become targets of political hostility or intimidation.
The march concluded near the statue of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, the renowned nineteenth-century Bengali educator and social reformer. The demonstration brought renewed public attention to the importance of protecting bookstalls, preserving Kolkata's literary traditions and ensuring that differences in political and ideological beliefs do not obstruct the freedom to read, publish and distribute literature.
