The Indian Army and Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress have indulged in a major tussle, with the latter accusing the Centre of deploying the force to muzzle its voice after the army started dismantling the party's stage next to Mahatma Gandhi's statue in Kolkata's Maidan on Monday.

The stage was put up to protest the alleged harassment of Bengali migrants.

The Maidan area comes under the authority of the Army, and the Eastern Command headquarters are at Fort William nearby.

Rejecting Banerjee's claims, the Eastern Command said the Indian Army gives permission for events in the Maidan area for up to two days as directed by the Supreme Court and the stage was there for almost a month.

"Permission for events greater than 3 days needs to be obtained from the Ministry of Defence, Government of India. Permission for conduct of events was provided for two days. However, the stage has been put up of almost a month, several reminders have been sent to the organisers for the removal of the temporary structure; however, it was not removed. Thereafter, the Kolkata police was informed and the structure was being removed by the Indian Army," the statement said.

Meanwhile, slamming the Centre, Trinamool supremo Mamata Banerjee said, "When (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi comes to Kolkata, he should take permission from us. They cannot stop our voice. If the atrocities against Bengalis continue, we will protest every day."

"The Army is not guilty. We are proud of you. I am not blaming the Army. They have been directed by BJP. It's a dirty political game," she added, directing party leaders to shift the protest site.

She termed it "political vendetta" and "misuse of the Army" by the ruling BJP.

"The BJP and the Centre misuse Army to curb our voice. Forcefully, they have misused the Army for their political vendetta," he said.

Meanwhile, the Bengal BJP slammed Banerjee and said she is "lying" about the entire episode.

The Kolkata Maidan, often called the “lungs of Kolkata,” is not under the state government or Kolkata Municipal Corporation. It is a defence land owned and managed by the Indian Army’s Eastern Command.

The Maidan and surrounding stretches (like Fort William) are classified as defence land, and the Army controls its use.

Civilian events (like fairs, political rallies, or protest stages) can only be held there with prior Army permission.