New Market hawker brawl: Brothers attacked on way home
Times of India | 17 February 2025
12 Kolkata: The hawker vs hawker fight at New Market reached a new height as two hawkers returning home on a scooter were allegedly assaulted and slashed with a knife by a group of men near SSKM Hospital in the early hours of Sunday. TOI has been reporting how groups of hawkers have been clashing on Bertram Street over occupying the carriageway.
A little after midnight on Sunday, Manu Kumar Singh and his elder brother Ramanuj — garment traders on the pavement outside New Market — were allegedly assaulted on Harish Mukherjee Road, opposite the main gate of SSKM, by a group of men. Cops said the duo was left bloodied on the road as the attackers fled when cops and locals rushed to the spot. The Singhs, residents of New Alipore, are admitted to SSKM Hospital.
Ramanuj claimed they were attacked for not paying Rs 2 lakh to a hawkers' union leader and added he had received death threats from him, identifying the leader and some of his associates in his FIR. Two persons — both hawkers from New Market — were later arrested in the case.
"The assault was the result of a dispute between two groups. We arrested Md Javed (31) and Md Tabrez (20) from Beniapukur in the early hours of Sunday," said an officer.
Ramanuj said he identified at least four attackers — Saif Ali, Rehan, Asif and Sohail — all owing allegiance to a Trinamool-recognised hawkers' union. "On Saturday, Saif came with 10-20 men and asked me to remove my dala. I refused. At night, one of his aides, Rehan, called and threatened to kill me. Later, they all attacked me and my brother," Ramanuj told reporters.
Saif Ali, the general secretary of Hawker Suraksha Union, one of the two unions in the area that owes allegiance to Trinamool MLA Madan Mitra, rubbished the allegations. "We didn't demand money and I am being framed. We had only been asking a section of hawkers not to block the carriageway as they have already got a place on the pavement according to the decision of the Town Vending Committee. We have been trying to stop hawkers from setting up two stalls. I didn't attack or threaten anyone. The cops will have access to CCTV footage and they can check," Ali said.