The death of a six-month-old infant who reportedly fell into stagnant water in the Debinagar area of North Dum Dum Municipality’s Ward No. 13 has triggered widespread protests, highlighting serious civic infrastructure issues in the region.The child’s grandmother recounted the horror, saying the baby fell into the water while asleep. “Had we lived in a concrete house, she might have been saved,” she said. Their house, like many in the area, is semi-permanent and vulnerable to water ingress. Inside, the floor remains submerged, littered with dead snails and fish swimming about—symptomatic of the appalling living conditions residents endure every monsoon. Just across the street, several houses built under the West Bengal government’s ‘Banglar Bari’ (Homes for Bengal) housing scheme stand in stark contrast to the victim’s fragile dwelling. Locals are now questioning why the child’s family was overlooked during beneficiary selection. “Even if they didn’t apply, couldn’t a local councillor have included their name seeing their condition?” asked a neighbour. Large parts of North Dum Dum remain waterlogged following heavy rains, with residents blaming poor drainage systems and crumbling road infrastructure for the worsening conditions. Protesters said the MB Road and several adjoining stretches are riddled with potholes, increasing the risk of accidents. On Sunday, members of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), Students’ Federation of India (SFI), All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA), and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] staged a road blockade at the mouth of the MB Road-Birati Bridge, demanding immediate improvement of drainage and road conditions.

The protest, which continued for over half an hour in heavy rain, led to a standoff with officers from Nimta Police Station, who arrived at the scene to disperse the crowd. Heated arguments reportedly broke out between the police and the demonstrators. Among the key leaders present were Rounak Das, Secretary of DYFI’s Birati-Bisharpara regional committee; Susmita Dasgupta and Aitreyee Guha, senior members of AIDWA; Atashi Chakraborty, an AIDWA national leader and CPI(M) state committee member; Pintu Chakraborty, CPI(M) North 24 Parganas district committee member; and Shibshankar Ghosh, secretary of the party’s area committee. Local CPI(M) cadres, along with youth, students, and women’s wings of the party, actively participated in the protest, demanding urgent government action to prevent further tragedies.