The authorities had beefed up the security when the situation began to deteriorate at Hogg Market, one of Kolkata’s busiest commercial hubs.
Updated: May 6, 2026 6:51 AM IST
New Delhi: Hours after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) registered a historic win in the West Bengal Assembly elections, bulldozer action has reportedly started in the state. Multiple videos are getting viral on social media, where bulldozers can be seen being used on various structures. It is being claimed that a group of people accompanying the bulldozers allegedly targeted a Trinamool Congress (TMC) office near the historic Hogg Market area.
According to the reports, these incidents have created panic among traders, forcing them to shut their shops abruptly. Trinamool Congress leaders, including Mahua Moitra, Sagarika Ghosh, shared the videos and accused the BJP of carrying out the bulldozer action.
It is alleged that the TMC’s New Market Union office was the main target. The office was reportedly completely demolished in the incident. Images of the vandalism and chaos in the area spread rapidly, further increasing concern among local shopkeepers.
Kolkata’s historic New Market. Bengalis revelling in Parivartan. pic.twitter.com/TfW6jJNkgo
— Mahua Moitra (@MahuaMoitra) May 5, 2026
Increased patrolling around New Market area
The authorities had beefed up the security when the situation began to deteriorate at Hogg Market, one of Kolkata’s busiest commercial hubs. Police personnel were rushed to the spot immediately after the incident. According to the reports, panicked traders pulled down their shop shutters and fled the area. To bring the situation under control and prevent any further tension, patrolling has been intensified in and around the New Market area. It is important to note that the full sequence of events is still unclear. The incident comes amid heightened political tensions in West Bengal following the recent election results.
Mahua Moitra targets the government
TMC leader Mahua Moitra shared a video of the incident on X and took a dig at the ruling party’s narrative. She wrote that Kolkata’s historic New Market is witnessing Bengalis “enjoying ‘parivartan’ (change),” invoking the BJP’s election slogan to underscore her criticism.
Derek O’Brien also lashes out
Another senior TMC leader, Derek O’Brien alleged that the demolition was carried out under government supervision. In a post, he said that in central Kolkata, near New Market, a bulldozer was brought in—with police permission—to demolish meat shops as part of victory celebrations. CAPF personnel were standing nearby, he claimed.
He further added, “This is the BJP. The world should see these images.”
Conflicting claims from locals
However, local residents and some traders disputed these allegations, stating that the structure was illegal. According to them, it was an unauthorized construction. They claimed that the space had earlier been forcibly taken from a shopkeeper and was later converted into a union office.
The bulldozer will face a wall
The TMC further, “Today shops are being targeted. Tomorrow it will be political opponents. After that, it will be statues of Bengal’s great figures. And finally, the homes of the poor and the vulnerable. But wherever the BJP’s bulldozer moves in Bengal, it will face a wall — a wall of resistance, a wall of defiance. We will fight this policy of state-sponsored terror.”
