Kolkata, October 19, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
A book stall set up by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in the Phulia area of West Bengal’s Nadia district was allegedly vandalised and set on fire late on Sunday night, police said on Monday.
The CPI(M) accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of being behind the attack, while the BJP denied the allegation.
Following the incident, CPI(M) workers reached the spot and apprehended a person on suspicion of involvement in the attack. They handed him over to the police, while another suspect allegedly fled the scene.
The incident took place near Phulia Rangamancha on Phulia-Taherpur Road, where the CPI(M) had set up a book stall for the annual Sharad Mela. The stall was inaugurated on October 16.
According to party workers, photographs of scholars, book stands and benches arranged for workers to sit were vandalised and set on fire. A complaint has been lodged at Santipur police station in connection with the incident.
The incident comes amid allegations of similar attacks targeting CPI(M) book stalls in several parts of West Bengal, including Kolkata and its suburbs, Howrah and Hooghly.
CPI(M) workers claimed that attempts had been made to obstruct the setting up of the Phulia stall even before it was established. They alleged that BJP workers had put up banners and posters at the location where the party had been operating its book stall for the past several years.
As a result, the CPI(M) was forced to shift the stall to a new location approximately 50 to 60 metres away from its usual site, party workers said.
The party further alleged that the administration ordered the demolition of the book stall a day after its inauguration. However, the CPI(M) maintained that it had set up the stall after consulting the police administration, obtaining permission from the fair organising committee and holding discussions with the sub-divisional magistrate.
Police are investigating the complaint and examining the circumstances surrounding the alleged vandalism and arson. The CPI(M)’s allegations against the BJP have not been independently established.
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 book stall was allegedly vandalised and set on fire in Nadia, West Bengal. The party accused the BJP, which denied the allegation.){kind=link}