Overview
- Reports on October 22–23 said dozens of temporary bookstalls run by Left parties across West Bengal were vandalised, with videos showing books thrown and some stalls dismantled.
- Party-provided tallies record large sales despite the disruptions, with CPI(M) figures ranging from about Rs 98 lakh to Rs 1.5 crore and the BJP claiming over Rs 2 crore in sales, though independent verification is limited.
- At Jadavpur police reportedly brought a bulldozer to remove a CPI(M) stall and withdrew after local residents and party workers resisted, making that site a focal point of the controversy.
- BJP and RSS leaders publicly condemned the destruction and denied organisational involvement while Left parties lodged police complaints and accused right-wing actors of organising attacks.
- The dispute is now moving through the courts and civic channels with an APDR petition due at the Calcutta High Court on October 29 and ongoing police cases as authorities weigh responsibility for the incidents.