Andal (West Bengal): The saffron brigade issued a directive to all fish and meat shops in Andal, an industrial town in Paschim Bardhaman, West Bengal, to remain closed for two days during the Chhath Puja celebrations, on October 26 and 27. On Sunday evening, BJP workers went around Andal’s north and south markets and issued threats to shut down meat shops. 

The incident has caused widespread concern in the town and the people are agitated. People also protested against the directive and on Monday, shopkeepers opened their fish and meat shops despite the threat.

In the recent past, the same directive had been issued in Digha and Nabadwip markets. During the inauguration of the Jagannath Temple in Digha this year, an order was issued that no one should consume non-vegetarian food on that day. 

Later, during the Holi festival, the Trinamool Congress-run Nabadwip municipality issued a directive to close down all non-vegetarian shops. The administration has remained virtually silent about it. 

Locals allege that they, along with the police, were “covering up for someone”. And now, the BJP has issued the same directive in Andal.

On October 25, Rakhal Chandra Das, the president of BJP’s Raniganj Mandal-4, wrote a letter on the party’s letterhead to the officer-in-charge of Andal police station, requesting them to take necessary steps to ensure that fish or meat is not sold in Andal south market during Chhath Puja. 

The letter justified the ban by stating that Chhath devotees would be using that narrow path to go to the nearby Damodar river, and they would face inconvenience if meat and fish were sold there.

'They Threatened Us, Demanded to Halt Sales'

After the letter, groups of BJP workers started going around markets in Andal from Sunday afternoon. They appeared with threatening gestures in the north and south markets and threatened meat and fish shop owners, asking them to shut down the shops.

“Saffron workers formed groups and went from shop to shop, threatening us and demanding the immediate halt to meat sale,” said Krisha Kediya, a cloth shop owner of Andal south market.

The industrial town of Andal, situated 185 km west of Kolkata, has residents of various communities and linguistic backgrounds living decades around its north and south markets. There is also a mosque located in the south market area. The wide roads are lined with numerous shops of various kinds, including Chhath Puja materials currently. 

“We do business here together. There has never been any chaos among us about what kind of shop anyone should run. We are united on this matter,” said Manoj Gupta, a stall owner in north market on Monday morning. 

Local businessmen told The Wire that the Chhath devotees go to the nearby Singharan river for sunrise and sunset rituals, and for those few hours, the fish and meat shops are not open anyway. They added that the road to this south market is by no means narrow, it is quite wide.

However, on Saturday (October 25), the BJP workers refused to accept this. They instructed Ajay Mandal, a mutton seller in south market, to keep his shop closed on Sunday and Monday. 

“On Sunday evening, the BJP activists suddenly came to my shop and started threatening me and other meat sellers. I raised an objection. I clearly told them that Chhath Pujo is held in Andal every year and there never was a demand to close meat shops. Those who want to buy Chhath Puja items are buying them. There has been no inconvenience. I asked them, ‘why are you asking us to close the meat shops?’,’’ he said. 

He defied the order and opened his shop even on Monday. People brought meat, and the fish shop was also open. Mandal said that he had called the Andal police station when the BJP brigade came to his shop on Sunday evening. The police arrived and said that if someone is running a business legally, it is their decision whether to keep the shop open or close it. But the police did not say anything beyond this.

Several people in the Andal market area were surprised about the shop closures and wondered how the Andal police accepted a letter of the kind. When The Wire reached out for a statement, no police officer from Andal police station was willing to comment.

Akil Ahmed, a cloth shop owner in the south market, said that communal harmony has been maintained in the Andal area for decades. During Chhat Puja, Muslim residents clean the river bed so that the devotees can perform their religious rituals there.

“This is considered a festival for all residents of Andal, no such order has ever been issued there. Doing this has insulted the residents of Andal,” he said. 

Subrata Sidhanta, a coal mine worker and resident of north market area, conveyed the same sentiment.

Speaking to The Wire on Monday, Centre of Indian Trade Union (CITU) leader Tufan Mandal said, “We the residents of Andal, cannot even imagine such a thing. In reality, just as the BJP is trying to spread religious fundamentalism and fanaticism across the country, they are attempting to do same in Andal” 

Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Dhanusdhar Ray said, “On Monday morning, on behalf of the party, we held a street meeting against this incident in Andal market. The fish and meat shops are normally open.” 

He alleged that there is implicit support from the ruling TMC government in state behind the incident.

Partha Diyasi, Trinamool Congress youth president of Paschim Bardhaman and gram panchayat pradhan (chief) of Madanpur, a town adjoining Andal, opposed and condemned the directive and demanded punishment for the people behind it.

On the other hand, Debtanu Bhattacharya, BJP’s Paschim Bardhaman district president denied any such order. He alleged, “This was not a decision of our party, we do not know why our workers did this in Andal.”

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