Clashes erupt in West Bengal over restrictions on prayers
Security personnel stand vigil as protesters raise slogans during a protest against the recent demolition drive in the Tijala area, including the Park Circus area of Kolkata, on May 17, 2026. Photo credit: PTI
Clashes broke out between a group of protesters and police in Kolkata’s Park Circus area over restrictions imposed on holding prayers on public roads.
At around 1.30pm on Sunday (17 May 2026), a crowd gathered at Park Circus and blocked the road. The gathered people protested over several issues, including restrictions on prayers and bulldozing of encroachments.
According to the police, stones were pelted and three policemen were injured. Police were seen resorting to batons and picket lines to clear the crowd. The protesters claimed that the police had used excessive force.
“Some people tried to block the roads. They pelted stones at the police. We have taken necessary action and will also take legal action. No one will be spared,” said a senior Kolkata Police official.
There was tension at the Park Circus junction, an important traffic junction in the city. The protesters were angry over several new directives by the BJP government, which include a ban on prayers in public places.
Tensions also flared in Kolkata’s Rajabazar area on Friday (May 15, 2026) when Muslims tried to offer namaz on the road despite the ban. The situation got out of control when a huge police force arrived and asked people to leave the road.
According to reports, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari in a cabinet meeting issued instructions that prayers should only be held inside mosques and not on public roads.
Violence also erupted in Asansol on Friday evening (May 15) after a mob allegedly pelted stones and vandalized a police post following complaints about the volume of loudspeakers at a mosque.
The incident took place at Jahangir Mohalla of Asansol town in Paschim Bardhaman when a police team urged local residents and mosque authorities to lower the volume of the loudspeaker. The police acted on the basis of a complaint by local residents.
Soon, a scuffle broke out between two groups outside the police base and the mob allegedly pelted stones and vandalized the police base. The police had to use force and had to use tear gas to control the situation. Seven people were arrested for their role in the violence.
‘assault on dignity’
Trinamool Congress president Mamata Banerjee said the poor were “paying the price of bulldozer politics”.
“What we are witnessing today is an assault on the dignity of the people of Bengal – daily wage labourers, street vendors, petty traders and struggling families who have built their lives brick by brick. The massive evictions around Howrah station, the unrest and anger erupting in Tiljala and Park Circus streets, and the growing desperation among people suddenly freed from shelters and abandoned people.” than humanity,” she said.
“A government that knocks first and listens later has forgotten the very spirit of Bengal. Real progress is measured by how a state treats its weakest citizens, not how quickly it can wipe them out,” the former chief minister said.
“Bulldozers cannot become the language of governance in a state built on culture, compassion and resistance to oppression,” she added.
Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury sought Chief Minister Suvenda Adhikari’s intervention to ease the “unrest and confusion” caused by the West Bengal government’s recent directives on animal slaughter. Mr. Chowdhury, in a letter dated May 17, said the animal slaughter announcement had caused confusion as well as riots, which needed to be addressed.
The former Congress MP pointed out that West Bengal, like any other region in the country, is home to diverse groups and communities following different cultural and religious traditions.
The West Bengal government has announced a new set of guidelines for animal slaughter in the state, which includes a “certificate of fitness” for the animal, a ban on public slaughter along with imprisonment and fine for violations.
Published – 17 May 2026 19:00 IST