Krishnanagar, June 17: Tension flared at Krishnanagar Railway Station in Nadia district on Tuesday night after Eastern Railway launched a massive anti-encroachment drive, demolishing around 300 shops and kiosks. The midnight operation triggered widespread protests and violent scuffles between security forces and Left-backed hawker unions.
According to local sources, the demolition has rendered nearly 1,500 people jobless, sparking an immediate livelihood crisis.
The trouble began around 10 PM on Tuesday when railway officials—backed by a large contingent of the Railway Protection Force (RPF), Government Railway Police (GRP), and local police—moved in with bulldozers to dismantle the temporary structures. The action met with stiff resistance from evicted hawkers and supporters of Left-wing organisations, including the CPM, CITU, and SUCI.
Protesters led by the CITU organised a march inside the station before staging a sit-in at the main entrance. The situation escalated when a section of the crowd attempted to re-enter the station premises, prompting the RPF to push them back, leading to heated arguments and scuffles.
Railway authorities stated that formal notices had been served on June 5, directing hawkers to vacate the premises by June 16. While some had cleared their stalls voluntarily, several structures remained, necessitating the enforcement drive. Despite the agitation, the railways continued the operation, clearing all unauthorised structures adjacent to the platform and station building, including a CITU party office built on railway land.
Left leaders strongly condemned the action. “This is an inhuman and barbaric attack on the right to livelihood,” said CITU state council member Debasish Acharya. “The railways, acting under the instructions of the Central government, are robbing the poor of their income in the name of development without providing alternative arrangements.”
Affected hawkers expressed deep shock. “A random drive like this, completely ignoring our pleas for time and rehabilitation, was beyond my imagination,” said Ajoy Saha, a local shop owner.
The Krishnanagar operation is part of Eastern Railway’s ongoing, state-wide crackdown on illegal encroachments. Similar drives have recently been executed at major hubs like Howrah, Sealdah, Dum Dum, Habra and many other stations.
On Wednesday, the agitation spread to Plassey, where the CITU organized a protest march following eviction notices served to 100 shanties near the local station.
In Nadia, notice for eviction has also already been served to hawkers having their stalls and kiosks on Chakdaha, Ranaghat, Kalyani, Plassey and some other stations.
Meanwhile, the battle has shifted to the courts. Early this month, the CITU moved the Calcutta High Court seeking a stay on evictions across Dankuni, Garifa, Konnagar, and Naihati stations. The High Court, which had initially granted interim relief until June 17, extended the stay on Wednesday until June 25.
Encouraged by the interim relief, the CITU filed a fresh petition on Wednesday seeking similar stays for hawkers at Shyamnagar, Bidhannagar, Ashoknagar, Gobardanga, Bongaon, and Maslandpur stations. The High Court will hear the petitions on June 18.