# Posters urging buying from Hindu shops spark row in Siliguri 2026-10-11T16:31:13+00:00 | India | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets Posters urging people to buy goods, meat and biryani from Hindu-owned shops appeared across Siliguri on 11 October, triggering a political row. The Hindu Jagran Manch put up the Bengali posters ahead of Durga Puja, calling it an appeal to the Hindu community. Former CPI(M) minister Asok Bhattacharya demanded police action, calling the campaign a crime in a secular nation. Union minister Sukanta Majumdar said the Manch is an independent organisation and his party was not involved. Trinamool spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said taste cannot be bound by religious boundaries. The Manch member Abhishek Das said patronising Hindu businesses will improve the local economy. In a separate incident, a biryani shop near Kolkata removed banners featuring Goddess Durga's image after BJP workers protested. ## Indian Opinion Analysis Hindustan Times leads with the Siliguri posters as the primary political row, while Times of India frames it as one of three incidents mixing food and festivity, including a separate Durga-image controversy near Kolkata. Both outlets report the Manch's claim that the posters are an appeal, not a diktat. Times of India adds more opposition voices, including Kunal Ghosh and Ashok Bhattacharya, giving the story a sharper political edge. Hindustan Times notes the Manch's 2025 protest, adding past context. Neither outlet takes a side, but Times of India's broader canvas makes the Siliguri incident part of a larger pattern of right-wing activism. The next flashpoint is the coming Durga Puja festival. ## Coverage Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral - hindustantimes.com (neutral report) Leads with the Siliguri posters as a single incident - timesofindia.indiatimes.com (neutral report) Presents three incidents with multiple political reactions This brief was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Tags: Asok Bhattacharya, Durga Puja, Hindu Jagran Manch, Kunal Ghosh, Siliguri, Sukanta Majumdar Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/posters-urging-buying-from-hindu-shops-spark-row-in-siliguri/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/posters-urging-buying-from-hindu-shops-spark-row-in-siliguri/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/