June 17, 2026
Mamata Banerjee hits the streets to protest hawker eviction
The livelihood of the common people of West Bengal is now in crisis. In several railway stations, including Sealdah, Howrah, Dum Dum, Jadavpur, Bally and Habra, hawkers have been bulldozed out of their stalls.
To oppose this eviction, All India Trinamool Congress Chairperson and former chief minister, Mamata Banerjee led a protest rally on Wednesday, June 17, 2026 on the streets of Kolkata. She was accompanied by Rajya Sabha MP Dola Sen, Beleghata MLA Kunal Ghosh, Ratna Sur and several other party leaders.
Slogans were raised against the bulldozer action being carried out to remove the hawkers’ stalls without providing any form of compensation. Many of the leaders carried placards, hung on their chests or held in their hands.
The protest began with a rally at Esplanade. A march then started from the statue of Lenin, led by Mamata Banerjee. It wound its way to Tipu Sultan Mosque and finally to Subodh Mallick Square, where the chairperson also interacted with hawkers.
Trinamool Congress’s view on the issue:
Many families have been making a living by trading on pavements and beside roads for a long time. The eviction drives are forcing hawkers off their means of earning a livelihood. Therefore, the hawkers being asked to move out must be rehabilitated.
