State government officials in Kolkata staged a rally and sit-in demanding clearance of 25% backlog Dearness Allowance as per the Supreme Court verdict. Police set up barricades near Indian Museum to stop protesters from reaching Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s residence. Organizers warned of a larger protest across West Bengal on March 13 if demands are unmet.
Protesting state government officials over Dearness Allowance (DA) issue on Thursday had hit the streets throwing traffic out of gear in the city.
The protestors warned of bigger protests on March 13 across the state if the administration doesn’t hold a meeting with them.
After the rally was taken out from the Esplanade area in central Kolkata, Kolkata police had set up three-tier barricades near the Indian Museum to stop the rally from reaching Kalighat which is the residence of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
#WATCH | Kolkata: Barricading and police forces deployed to stop the protestors holding a rally over not receiving the DA (Dearness Allowance) after the Supreme Court’s order to the West Bengal government to pay 25% of the outstanding DA arrears to its employees by March 31.
DC… https://t.co/yFxUY9oAyE pic.twitter.com/xJn1Y4MX9R
— ANI (@ANI) February 26, 2026
Despite several requests from the protestors that they want to march till Hazra in south Kolkata near the Chief Minister’s residence the police refused to open the barricades.
After a prolonged agitation and sit-in-demonstration the protestors wanted to meet the Chief Minister and Chief Secretary Nandini Chakraborty so that Supreme Court’s verdict of clearing 25 per cent of backlog DA can be implemented.
Bhaskar Ghosh, convenor of the protestors said that almost 100 organizations cutting across the political hues had joined the protest demanding clearing of backlog DA.