A court in Kolkata has granted bail to five individuals, including CPI-M leader Srijan Bhattacharya, who were arrested during a protest against a hawker eviction drive in Jadavpur. Each person was released on a personal bond of Rs 1,000, with the next hearing scheduled for November 3.
The Alipore Police Court judge specified that Srijan Bhattacharya must cooperate with the investigation as a bail condition. The protest, led by a joint Left Front-Congress group, was in response to the eviction drive at Jadavpur railway station where alleged illegal shops were demolished.
CPI-M leader Srijan Bhattacharya and others were taken into custody before the demolition drive commenced. The incident led to clashes between Left activists and police, resulting in injuries to about 15 CPI-M workers. Subsequently, SFI members protested outside Jadavpur University for the release of the arrested individuals.
A senior CPI-M official criticized the government for the eviction, condemning the actions as a “bulldozer drive.” The tension escalated as the eviction operation unfolded, with allegations of lathi-charges on protesters and injuries sustained by several individuals, including theatre activist Joyraj Bhattacharya.
The area near the 212 bus stand in Jadavpur remained tense following the incident, with fears of sudden hawker evictions. The Railways had previously conducted similar eviction drives at Howrah and Sealdah stations, causing distress to affected traders who claimed they were not forewarned about the operations.
