Anandabazar Patrika office targeted by saffron-clad protesters

Protesters staged a demonstration outside the Kolkata office of the Bengali daily Anandabazar Patrika on September 1, 2026, following a controversial headline. The protest was sparked by the newspaper’s use of the phrase “Gerua Gundami” (saffron hooliganism) in an August 21 report regarding a clash between student groups at Jadavpur University.

During the demonstration, individuals dressed in saffron clothing painted parts of the newspaper’s white gate pillars and walls saffron while shouting slogans such as “Bhagwa ka apmaan nahi sahega” (“We will not tolerate the insult of Bhagwa”). The incident occurred in the presence of Kolkata Police.

The original report detailed a confrontation on August 20 involving activists from the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), which resulted in injuries to several students. Critics of the headline argued that associating the color saffron with “hooliganism” was derogatory to Hindu religious and cultural sentiments. Newspaper authorities repainted the affected walls to their original color a few hours after the incident.