A book stall by the CPIM in North 24 Parganas was damaged and set ablaze by unidentified people on the night of October 15, party sources said on Friday.
Located at Charapool intersection in the Palashi Majhipara area of Bijpur, the stall escaped extensive damage after local residents stepped in to douse the fire, according to the party.
CPI(M) leaders, including senior member Kaltan Dasgupta, blamed people allegedly backed by the BJP for the incident. The claim could not be independently verified.
A senior police officer said the situation was normal and personnel were posted at the site.
In a related development, the Kamardanga Durga Puja committee in the city's Entally area put up a flex banner carrying the slogan 'Bam Badh' (slay the Left) and prevented the setting up of a CPI(M) stall near the puja pandal.
The committee accused the Left of aiding anti-national forces and claimed that local people opposed the move.
Similar incidents of vandalism and obstruction were reported at Palta Shantinagar in the Noapara Assembly constituency, as well as in parts of Kolkata, Jorabagan, Shibpur and Kulpi in South 24 Parganas.
The controversy follows a political debate over the setting up of book stalls by Left parties during Durga Puja, a longstanding practice in Bengal’s cultural and political landscape.
Chief minister Suvendu Adhikari had earlier urged Durga Puja committees to deny space to CPI(M) book stalls if the party used the term 'Sharodotsav' (autumn festival).
The CPI(M) has maintained that the stalls are an integral part of Bengal’s tradition of combining cultural festivities with the exchange of political ideas and literature.
Senior BJP leader and Bengal minister Arjun Singh said that stalls set up by "Dimagi Naxals" would not be allowed in the future.
"They do not perform shradh rituals after the death of their parents. Such elements have no place in society," he told reporters on Friday.