Kolkata: A 42-year-old hawker, Md Bellaluddin, was severely assaulted by fellow vendors for trying to set up his stall along Chowringhee Road on July 31. The altercation started due to reduced vending space in Esplanade.
According to police, the incident occurred around 8 pm in front of the YMCA building. The victim, a resident of Karbala Road under the Rajabagan Police Station, arrived at the spot to set up his dala (vending tray). However, he was confronted by a group of local hawkers.
At least five persons from this group aggressively intercepted Bellaluddin, claiming that the space available for vending was significantly less than it was a week prior and ordered him to find another location. When Bellaluddin resisted, the argument escalated rapidly. The accused reportedly hurled insults, issued death threats, and launched a physical attack, thrashing Bellaluddin with fists, blows, and kicks.
The assault left Bellaluddin with severe injuries, including a fracture to the middle toe of his left leg. He was taken to the SSKM Hospital for treatment and was later discharged. The assault, claimed hawkers, came days after a crackdown on illegal pavement encroachments led by urban development and municipal affairs minister Agnimitra Paul.
Following a surprise inspection of footpaths along Chowringhee and Park Street, Paul had ordered hawkers to clear illegal encroachments within 24 hours. She instructed vendors to operate strictly in a single line occupying no more than 30% of the pavement width to leave adequate walking space for pedestrians.
In response to the minister’s directive, vendors across the commercial hub had begun reorganizing their stalls, removing wooden planks, and clearing double-row setups. “This sudden reduction in usable vending area intensified competition for the remaining legal spots leading to heated exchange of words. Instead of following the rules after taking everyone in to confidence through dialogue, some hawkers are making it a law and order issue,” claimed Md Samsad, a local hawker.
Following the victim’s written complaint, the Park Street Police Station registered a formal criminal case under various sections of the BNS, including section 126(2) for wrongful restraint, section 115(2) for voluntarily causing hurt, section 117(2) for causing grievous hurt and sections 351(2) and 352 for criminal intimidation and intentional insult. The FIR names four primary accused. Officers confirmed that a probe into the clash is ongoing to track down the accused hawkers using CCTV footage.