The Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) expresses its deepest outrage and vehemently condemns the barbaric midnight crackdown carried out on the intervening nights during last couple of days, the latest being in mid-night of 7–8 June 2026 against railway hawkers, small shop owners, local residents, CITU activists, students and democratic activists in and around the Jadavpur Railway Station area.

Under the cover of darkness, a massive contingent of Police personnel, Railway Protection Force personnel and other security agencies, acting under the instructions of the BJP government at the State and the Centre, launched a coercive operation utilizing bulldozers and earthmoving machinery to demolish makeshift business establishments and destroy the means of livelihood of hundreds of poor vendors and their families. When local residents, trade union activists, students of Jadavpur University and democratic organizations peacefully assembled in solidarity and protested against this operation and asked for appropriate rehabilitation arrangement and alsoa reasonable time to move the usable and essentials, they were met with force, intimidation and violent repression.

CITU strongly condemns the physical assault resulting in injuries to a number of protesters and the arbitrary arrest of Srijan Bhattacharya, All India General Secretary of SFI, and several otherdemocratic activists. In an alarming attempt to suppress democratic dissent, the authorities also targeted veteran Left leader and CPI(M) Central Committee Member, former MP Dr. Sujan Chakraborty, theatre activist Joyraj Bhattacharya, trade union activists, students and local residents. Many sustained injuries during the indiscriminate lathi-charge and police action.Several of them got serious injuries.

CITU notes with grave concern that this is not an isolated incident but part of a broader pattern of forcible evictions and demolitions witnessed in Dum Dum, Salt Lake, Asansol, Barnpur, Siliguri and several other parts of West Bengal. Also in almost all the places CITU and other mass organizations immediately responded through organizing demonstrations and resistance along with the hawkers and vendors braving police attacks and repressions. Senior CITU leaders Gargi Chattopadhyay and others, leading activists of students and other mass fronts also faced brutal attacks and manhandling by police and RPF. This is not limited to Railway lands, but street vendors are also facing similar attacks. These operations are clearly designed to destroy petty trade, vending and small-scale economic activity and hand over land and other rights to big corporate interests. This is a direct class war that the double-engine BJP governments have unleashed upon the people of India. CITU has been leading the resistance movement against these illegal and inhuman evictions.

CITU emphasizes that irrespective of questions concerning ownership of, or jurisdiction over, the land concerned, every public authority is bound by the Constitution of India and the rule of law. State action cannot be arbitrary, disproportionate or punitive. Articles 14, 19 and 21 of the Constitution require that any action affecting the livelihood, dignity and fundamental rights of citizens must satisfy the principles of fairness, reasonableness and due process. In the landmark judgment of Olga Tellis v. Bombay Municipal Corporation (1985), the Court held that deprivation of livelihood directly affects the right to life and that any action resulting in such deprivation must conform to constitutional requirements and procedural fairness.

Over and above this, the assault on peaceful protesters raises grave concerns regarding the violation of constitutionally guaranteed democratic rights, including the freedoms of speech, expression, peaceful assembly and association guaranteed under Articles 19(1)(a), 19(1)(b) and 19(1)(c) of the Constitution of India.

The destruction of small businesses and the assault on democratic protesters reveal a disturbing disregard for the rights and dignity of working people. CITU warns that this aggressive attack on the poor and on democratic rights will be met with united, determined and statewide resistance by the working class and all democratic sections of society.

Therefore, CITU places the following demands before the authorities:

• Immediate and unconditional stoppage of all forced evictions, demolition drives, bulldozer operations and destruction of livelihoods in Jadavpur andother places throughout West Bengal.
• Adequate rehabilitation measures, alternative livelihood arrangements and compensation for all affected hawkers, vendors and small traders whose establishments were demolished or damaged.
• Immediate and unconditional release of Srijan Bhattacharya and all other activists arrested during the protest, and withdrawal of all false, fabricated and politically motivated cases lodged against protesters, trade union activists, students, local residents and democratic activists.
• Fixing accountability on officials responsible for any unlawful use of force, arbitrary action, violation of constitutional rights or abuse of authority during the operation.

CITU calls upon the entire working class, democratic institutions, student, youth and women's organizations, railway employees' unions, contractual workers' unions, hawkers' unions and commuters' associations across the country to demonstrate in front of Railway offices on 15 June 2026 and demand an end to evictions without rehabilitation in West Bengal and other parts of the country.

The CITU State Committees will coordinate with other mass organisations. All other mass organisations and democratic movements are requested to cooperate and build a united struggle against these brutal attacks.The struggle to defend the livelihood, dignity and constitutional rights of working people will continue with renewed determination.

Issued by
(Elamaram Kareem)
General Secretary