Alleging that the poor are at the receiving end of political arrogance, Trinamool Congress chairperson and former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday (May 16, 2026) said that Bengal does not believe in bulldozer politics.

“The land of Tagore and Netaji cannot be ruled through fear, force, and demolition drives against ordinary citizens. What we are witnessing today is an attack on the dignity of the people of Bengal – daily wage workers, street vendors, small shopkeepers, and struggling families who have built their lives brick by brick,” Ms. Banerjee posted on social media.

The remark by Ms. Banerjee comes amidst eviction drives at various places in Kolkata and in other districts. Authorities used bulldozers to dismantle temporary structures, including an illegal factory at Tiljala area in Kolkata, where a fire had resulted in three deaths.

“The massive eviction drive around Howrah Station, the unrest and anger erupting on the streets of Tiljala and Park Circus, and the growing desperation among those suddenly stripped of shelter and livelihood expose a government more obsessed with optics than humanity, “ Ms. Banerjee said.

Clashes in Park Circus area

During the day, violence erupted at the Park Circus area over restrictions on prayers in public spaces. The police and protesters clashed, and the situation remained tense for hours. Similar protests have erupted over restricting use of loudspeakers at a mosque in Asansol.

“A government that demolishes first and listens later has forgotten the very spirit of Bengal. Real progress is measured by how a state treats its weakest citizens, not by how quickly it can erase them,” she said.

The former Chief Minister, who had been against any eviction drive in the 15 years of her tenure from 2011 to 2026, said that “bulldozers cannot become the language of governance in a state built on culture, compassion, and resistance to oppression”.