Anandabazar Patrika, the leading Bengali daily in West Bengal, India, has come under attack by Hindutva activists.

A group of protesters chanted slogans in front of the newspaper's headquarters in Central Kolkata for a considerable time, painted the white pillars at the entrance in saffron—the color favored by Hindutva supporters—and wrapped them in saffron cloth.

On Tuesday afternoon, the group of 20 to 30 Hindutva supporters sat in front of the newspaper office and chanted slogans for quite some time.

Although police were present throughout, they did not prevent the protesters from attacking the newspaper office.

Later, the newspaper management repainted the saffron pillars white.

However, as of Tuesday evening, the newspaper management had neither filed a formal complaint nor issued any statement regarding the incident. No comments were made on the newspaper's television channel or website either.

The Hindutva protesters gathered in front of the Anandabazar Patrika office at noon and chanted "Jai Shri Ram" slogans.

They declared that West Bengal is the "land of Syama Prasad Mookerjee, the land of Vivekananda, and the land of saffron," adding that there is "no place for 'dimagi Naxals' [intellectual Naxals]" like Anandabazar Patrika.

The phrase "dimagi Naxal" was used by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Independence Day address. Tuesday's protesters labeled Anandabazar Patrika as "dimagi Naxals," referring to intellectual Naxals.

Significantly, Anandabazar Patrika was also attacked in 1969 during the Naxalite movement in West Bengal. Since then, the daily—established in 1922—has faced attacks at various times under different governments.

During the Left Front regime, after a fire broke out at the newspaper's office, the CPI(M)-led Kolkata Municipal Corporation even held a press conference against the publication.

Previously, under the Trinamool Congress government, then-Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee repeatedly targeted Anandabazar Patrika by name.

However, the newspaper had never faced such an organized attack, nor had the color of its entrance been altered in this manner.

The open conflict between Anandabazar Patrika and the newly empowered BJP-led government in West Bengal began after August 20.

A day after student clashes broke out at Jadavpur University on that date, Anandabazar Patrika used the phrase "Saffron Hooliganism" in a front-page headline.

This sparked intense debate across West Bengal, with BJP supporters claiming that Anandabazar Patrika had insulted saffron, the color of Hindutva.

Criticizing this choice of words, West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari demanded that the newspaper management publicly apologize within 24 hours, stating that Anandabazar Patrika had tarnished the word "saffron."

Additionally, a Hindutva organization named "Hindu Jagaran Manch" filed a complaint against the newspaper's editorial board at Bowbazar Police Station.

On the other hand, strong public support for Anandabazar Patrika has been visible across various sections of society over the past two weeks.

Many people wrote on social media that at a time when mainstream media in India is hardly taking a stance against the BJP, Anandabazar Patrika's anti-BJP stance is commendable.

Criticizing the complaint filed against the paper, at least two pan-Indian organizations of news agencies and journalists demanded the withdrawal of the charges.

Following Tuesday's attack, mixed opinions regarding Anandabazar Patrika were observed on social media. While Hindutva organizations and their supporters backed the attack, others condemned it.

Ranjit Sur, writing on behalf of the Association for Protection of Democratic Rights (APDR), West Bengal's leading human rights organization, stated: "By engaging in hooliganism at the Anandabazar office today, the saffron forces proved just how accurate Anandabazar Patrika's headline 'Saffron Hooliganism' was."

While media personnel in West Bengal have faced various attacks over the past few years, a direct major assault on a media outlet's office had not occurred.

Following this event, many on social media expressed fear that attacks on private news organizations could escalate.