A Trinamool Congress protest march planned from Rajabazar to Park Circus in Kolkata could disrupt traffic on a busy city route during the Durga Puja period, with the Kolkata Police’s decision on permission still awaited. The march has been announced for Tuesday from 2pm, and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee may participate.
The programme has been called by the Trinamool Congress to protest against the central government and the Election Commission. According to the party’s campaign material, the march will raise allegations of the suppression of democratic voices, demand the resignation and arrest of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, and protest Mamata Banerjee’s detention during a programme in Delhi.
The party has also alleged repression of opposition parties and younger citizens. Trinamool leaders have described the event as a political and democratic protest rather than an activity directed against the festive season. The party has appealed to members of its student, youth, women’s and workers’ organisations to join the march.
Party workers began campaigning in Kolkata on Monday, circulating information about the programme and mobilising supporters. Former Rajya Sabha member and Trinamool leader Subhashis Chakraborty said the march would take place even though it was not known whether the police would grant permission. He also said that the party’s leader would participate.
The proposed route runs through Rajabazar, along CIT Road and towards the Park Circus area. These are important urban corridors, and traffic pressure in the area is already rising ahead of Durga Puja as people travel for shopping, pandal visits and other preparations. A large political procession during the afternoon could therefore require traffic diversions or additional crowd-management arrangements if permission is granted.
The administration’s decision is also being watched because several public events are taking place across Kolkata during the festival period. The report said the chief minister is scheduled to attend multiple puja inaugurations, while crowds have begun increasing in different parts of the city following the start of the festive season.
The march’s final scale and its operational effect on traffic will depend on the police decision and the number of participants. The Trinamool Congress has indicated that it intends to proceed, while BJP leader Tamoghna Ghosh dismissed the programme as politically irrelevant. Kolkata Police’s position on permission and any traffic-management plan had not been announced in the supplied report.
