Left Front protest march over Hill Cart Road bookstall attack prompts Hindu Jagran Manch response

The Darjeeling district unit of the Left Front took out a rally in Siliguri on Saturday against alleged attempts to disrupt its Hill Cart Road bookstall during Durga Puja.

The RSS-affiliated Hindu Jagran Manch held a counter-meeting in Siliguri immediately afterwards at the city’s Deshbandhu Para.

Manch representatives claimed that the opposition to the Hill Cart Road bookstall arose from Leftist “comments” that hurt religious sentiments. “People protested against their comments on Hindu goddesses and false narrative,” claimed Prasanta Sarkar, organiser of the Manch’s Siliguri Mahanagar unit.

A senior Left leader denied the charges. "No such comments were made. The disturbance outside its Hill Cart Road bookstall was an attack on our ideology and Bengal’s political culture,” he said.

Saturday’s Left rally was organised around 5pm to protest the incident and appeal to residents to "read books, save books and protect Bengal’s culture and heritage". Former Siliguri mayor Asok Bhattacharya, CPM state committee member Jibesh Sarkar, representatives of the RSP, CPI and SUCI, and party workers took part in the rally.

“Fascist attacks on books have occurred in history. This is now happening in Bengal. We urge people to resist such attempts,” Sarkar said.

Manch leader Soumitra Dey, in turn, claimed their protest was democratic and peaceful. “Leftism, militancy and anti-national activities will not be tolerated by religious-minded residents of Siliguri,” he said.

During this year's Durga Puja, scores of Left-backed bookstalls were vandalised across Bengal. Left leaders accused Right-wing groups of orchestrating the attacks.