A single-judge Bench of the Calcutta High Court granted conditional approval to the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, for a protest march near the burned warehouses in Anandapur on the outskirts of Kolkata. The court directed Adhikari to take an alternate route for the march and limited the participants to 2,000 individuals. Additionally, the protest must halt 200 meters before the Narendrapur Police Station, with a five-member delegation permitted to submit a deputation.
Earlier, Adhikari had sought permission for the protest march after local police denied approval and enforced prohibitory orders within a 100-meter radius of the warehouses. Following a hearing, the single-judge Bench provided conditional consent for the demonstration. Meanwhile, a group of BJP legislators visited the site but stayed beyond the restricted zone in compliance with the orders.
Adhikari criticized Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for her absence at the tragedy site, emphasizing his presence to support the affected individuals. He alleged that the death toll was underreported, claiming that around 40 people had lost their lives due to the fire. Adhikari expressed concerns about the handling of the situation, stating that body parts were discreetly removed from the scene.
