The Bengali script on business signboards must be at least as large as the font size of any other language displayed, Calcutta mayor Firhad Hakim said on Wednesday.

Speaking during the monthly Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) councillors’ meeting, Hakim clarified that the Bengali font size on a signboard should match or exceed that of other languages.

This statement came in response to BJP councillor Sajal Ghosh’s query about the specific font size requirement for Bengali on signboards.

Earlier, on August 8, Hakim had announced that hotels, businesses, and commercial establishments must display their names in Bengali alongside any other languages or risk having their signboards removed by the KMC.

Ghosh said that a KMC communication asking businesses to display names in Bengali only mentioned
that the font should be of “prominent size,” without specifying exact measurements. He urged the civic body to clearly spell out the size standards.

Hakim responded by confirming the expectation that Bengali font size should not be smaller than any other language on the signboards. “The Bengali font size on a signboard should be at least the same size as that of the other languages on the signboard,” he said.

On August 30, the KMC issued a directive requiring all businesses to have their names written in Bengali by September 30, 2025. The communication stated: “It is hereby re-iterated that all such signages must have Bengali displayed at the top in a prominent size in addition to other languages, if any, in the public interest.”

Hakim’s announcement comes amid widespread protests against assaults on Bengali speakers in several states, mostly BJP-ruled. The Trinamool Congress seized on a Delhi Police communication referring to Bengali as a “Bangladeshi language,” promising “the strongest possible protests against language terror.”

With Assembly elections scheduled next year, pride in Bengali identity and concerns over threats to Bengali speakers in other states are gaining political traction. Trinamool accuses the BJP of bias against Bengalis, while the BJP claims Trinamool shelters illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

Responding to Ghosh’s concerns, Hakim emphasised that advocating for Bengali is not disrespecting other languages. “Speaking in Bengali does not mean that I am disrespecting Hindi,” he said.

Hakim also addressed Ghosh’s reference to a past remark about Urdu. “Hindi was my third language in school. My family and I learnt Urdu at the Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture at Golpark,” he said. “Even Atal Bihari Vajpayee used to write and recite Urdu poetry. It is the language of many Indians.”