Leaders and supporters of Mamata All India Trinamool Congress, who had gathered in Kolkata on Tuesday (October 13, 2026) to hold a procession in protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Special Intensive Revision (SIR), were not allowed to march as the police said that no permission was obtained for the event.
Senior leaders of the Mamata faction of the Trinamool Congress, Rajya Sabha MP Dola Sen, MLA and former Minister Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay and spokesperson Kunal Ghosh reached Rajabazar with supporters and raised slogans against Gyanesh Kumar. However, after some time, the police stopped the protesters from marching forward, and the crowd dispersed. The protest was the first major attempt by the Mamata Banerjee-led faction to organise protests on the streets of Kolkata over the SIR/ CEC issue.
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari had directed the police that the protesters should not be allowed a single step. Commissioner of Kolkata Police Ajay Kumar Nand told media persons that the police have not received any official notification or application for this procession.
“As a result, the police are not aware of where the procession will start, where it will end or how many people will join. The police administration cannot work by looking at social media posts or posters,” the Commissioner had said.
Speaking at an event in Bongaon on Tuesday, Mr Adhikari took a swipe at the protests and said that “bed bugs and cockroaches are trying to weaken the country from within”.
The Mamata Trinamool shared photos of the protest on social media and stated that the people of Bengal poured onto the streets to demand what is rightfully theirs - a free, fair, and transparent electoral process.
“We will not remain silent when our democratic rights are at stake. Every eligible citizen deserves the right to vote, and every vote must count. No electoral process should leave citizens questioning the fairness, integrity, and credibility of our democracy,” Mamata AITC posted on social media.
The Left Front and student organisations associated with the Left parties staged protests across the State on October 11, demanding the resignation of the CEC and the scrapping of SIR. Workers and leaders of the Congress party have also held protests in Kolkata on similar demands. Public conventions are also being held in Kolkata demanding CEC resignation and scrapping of SIR.
The SIR process in West Bengal, ahead of the assembly polls earlier this year, saw the deletion of 91 lakh electors. The fate of 37 lakh electors hangs in balance before tribunals headed by retired judges.
Published - October 14, 2026 08:00 am IST