Saffron-clad protesters paint Anandabazar Patrika office walls in Kolkata

The protesters gathered outside the office near Chandni Chowk, where two men painted pillars at the main entrance as police stood nearby.

Some protesters even raised slogans including “Bhagwa ka apmaan nahi sahega” and “Anandabazar Patrika haye haye”.

The demonstration reportedly lasted for nearly an hour.

Protest over ‘saffron hooliganism’ headline

The protest follows a controversy over an August 21 front-page headline by Anandabazar Patrika referring to the Jadavpur University violence as “gerua gundami”, or “saffron hooliganism”.

The clash on August 20 involved members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad and Left-affiliated student groups.

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari had subsequently demanded an apology from the newspaper, saying it should not attack the colour saffron.

At a programme on August 28, he said an apology would have to be made and warned that thousands of people in saffron robes were preparing to protest.

FIR against newspaper's editorial team

A complaint was also filed against members of the newspaper's editorial team, following which an FIR was registered at Bowbazar police station against editor Ishani Dutta Roy, chief reporter Soma Mukherjee and others.

The complainant alleged that the headline was offensive to Hindu sentiments and could disturb public peace.

Press organisations, however, criticised the FIR, arguing that criminal action against journalists over editorial decisions threatens press freedom.

The Indian Women's Press Corps and Press Association said targeting journalists for their bona fide professional work was disturbing.

Painted wall restored

Following Tuesday's protest, the painted section of the wall was reportedly restored to white.

Anandabazar editor Ishani Datta Ray later posted a photograph of the repainted wall with the words “Uchch jetha shir” — “Where the head is held high” — from Rabindranath Tagore's Where the Mind Is Without Fear.

The episode has added a fresh flashpoint to an already heated debate in Bengal over political expression, religious symbolism, media freedom and the use of the word “saffron” in describing political violence.