A dispute over warming milk for a child on a Kolkata pavement has triggered political controversy around an anti-encroachment drive. Sita, a woman from Punjab who has lived with her family on the pavement near Park Street and Free School Street for 50 years, was heating milk on a stove on Saturday evening when Urban Development Minister Agnimitra Paul arrived during the operation. The minister questioned why milk was being heated on the pavement and who had permitted the family to live there.

The incident drew criticism on social media and from political circles. Trinamool Congress leader Kunal Ghosh met Sita and asked about her family. He criticised the eviction drive, saying pavement-clearing efforts should not be inhumane and calling for a proper rehabilitation blueprint for homeless people.

Paul said the government maintains a zero-tolerance policy on pavement encroachment. She said neither boiling milk nor frying snacks could justify occupying pedestrian space, and warned that using a stove on the pavement could create a serious fire risk for both the family and passers-by. She also criticised opponents for politicising the issue without bringing milk for the child.