07/05/2026
Share:
07/05/2026
Share:
KOLKATA, May 7: Kolkata Police have banned bulldozers and earthmovers from political victory rallies after a BJP celebration allegedly turned provocative, with supporters driving a bulldozer through New Market and attempting to damage a Trinamool Congress office.
The order came a day after hundreds of BJP supporters joined a bulldozer rally on Tuesday to celebrate their electoral success. Several party workers were seen climbing onto the machine’s scooper and waving flags as the procession moved through the city.
Police Commissioner Ajay Nand said on Wednesday that no JCBs or earthmovers would be permitted in rallies and warned owners against renting them out for political events.
“No JCBs will be allowed in any rally. JCB owners have been strictly told not to rent out their JCBs for rallies. If anyone is found giving JCBs on rent to political parties, they will be seized, and legal action will be taken,” Nand said.
Eight people were arrested on Wednesday in connection with the bulldozer rally.
Nand also said police personnel present during Tuesday’s procession would face action for failing to prevent the incident.
“Action will be initiated against officers who were present on the spot,” he said.
The commissioner added that victory processions would now be allowed only after organisers obtain prior police permission.
Crackdown After Post-Poll Violence
The move comes amid heightened tension in Bengal following the election results. Police said 80 people have been arrested in Kolkata in connection with violent incidents reported over the past two days.
Even after polling, 65 companies of central paramilitary forces remain deployed in Kolkata, while 40 motorcycle patrol units are moving across the city round the clock, according to an officer at Lalbazar.
Nand said police had also launched a “special drive” to arrest known troublemakers.
Statewide Ban on Bulldozer Rallies
The ban on bulldozers and earthmovers is not limited to Kolkata. State police chief Siddh Nath Gupta said the restriction would apply to political rallies across Bengal.
Gupta said more than 200 FIRs had been registered across the state in connection with post-poll violence in the 48 hours after the results, while 433 people had been arrested.
“There have been incidents of intimidation, threats and assaults since the announcement of the results. We have drawn up more than 200 FIRs and arrested 433 people. More than 1,100 people have also been booked under preventive sections,” the DGP said.
He said no fresh violence had been reported since Wednesday morning.
Gupta confirmed two post-poll deaths — one in New Town and another in Nanur in Birbhum — since Monday. He said some groups were exploiting the tense atmosphere to vandalise property and intimidate rivals.
“We have instructed all police stations to start suo motu cases if there is no complaint, even for a serious offence. We are identifying all the accused through CCTV cameras,” Gupta said.
Police sources said the highest number of post-poll violence cases had been reported from Asansol, Cooch Behar, East Burdwan and Baruipur in South 24-Parganas.
To contain the situation, about 500 companies of central forces , comprising more than 50,000 personnel , have been deployed across the state. A joint control room has also been set up for coordination between central forces and Bengal Police.
Lalbazar Pulls Up Local Police Stations
Kolkata Police headquarters at Lalbazar has also warned police stations over poor intelligence gathering and lack of awareness about force deployment in their areas.
Senior officers said some incidents were being reported by the media before local police or the Lalbazar control room had even received information.
“This indicates a lack of area awareness, supervision and real-time information flow,” an officer said.
Police stations have now been instructed to improve ground-level monitoring, track deployments more closely and ensure faster reporting of any unrest.
The bulldozer ban marks a sharp attempt by police to prevent political celebrations from turning into shows of intimidation at a time when Bengal remains on edge after a tense election verdict.