West Bengal Minister rebukes homeless woman for heating milk on Kolkata footpath, sparks outrage

Since the Bharatiya Janata Party came to power in West Bengal on May 4, its government has cracked down on roadside dwellers, encroachers, hawkers and slum residents. Against this backdrop, Minister Agnimitra Paul’s recent remarks to a homeless woman heating milk for her child on a Kolkata pavement have sparked outrage and criticism in the State.

On Saturday (August 22, 2026) afternoon, Ms. Paul, the Minister-in-Charge for Urban Development and Municipal Affairs, was seen reprimanding a homeless woman on a footpath in Kolkata’s Park Street area. The woman was heating milk in a pot to feed her child. “Heating milk for a child on the pavement? In Park Street? Who gave you permission to set up your household here?” Ms. Paul was heard saying. She then asked the woman to remove her belongings from the road in the presence of several Kolkata police personnel.