NGO Activists Protest at Kolkata Book Festival Against 'Denial' of Entrance to Street Children

NGO activists protest at Kolkata Book Festival against denial of entrance to street children, sparking controversy over discrimination."

on Jan 30, 2024

NGO Activists Protest at Kolkata Book Festival Against 'Denial' of Entrance to Street Children | Frontlist

On Monday evening, some 40 members of an NGO demonstrated near the venue of the International Kolkata Book Fair, stating that the police had denied them permission to conduct "social activities" with street children.

A Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate officer stated that about 7 p.m., some people gathered in front of the Little Magazine pavilion on the book fair grounds and yelled slogans against the police and event organisers, causing anxiety among guests.

He stated that police apprehended approximately 20 agitators and temporarily held them in their control room before releasing the NGO members.

The members of 'Amar Pathshala' stated they had brought several street children to the fairgrounds for a programme on January 28, but police refused to let them in "for no reason".

"If the book fair belongs to everyone, why is there such a discriminatory attitude towards children?" stated an association representative.

According to Tridib Chatterjee, head of the Publishers and Booksellers' Guild, some persons staged a demonstration in one part of the fair.

"The book fair is a platform for bibliophiles, for children, for people of all sections," he went on to say.

Some youngsters recently demonstrated at the fairgrounds, criticising the developments in Gaza and the consecration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, but were dispersed by police, according to officials.

"We don't want the fair to turn into a place of slogan shouting or politics," Chatterjee said in a statement.