Kolkata: Two BJP leaders booked over ‘controversial’ speech in Birbhum

“Don’t hit the TMC men. A case will be registered against you if you do so. Instead, attack the police and nothing will happen. Didn’t you all see how a sub-inspector of Dubrajpur was killed by TMC people? There is nothing you can expect from the police in Bengal. If you show them weapons, they will listen to you. Our real opponents in the state are the police and not TMC,” Mondal reportedly said at the meeting.

“During the Left rule, a police official was killed and no one was punished. In fact, the police have always been corrupt. Even a crow saves another crow, but in our state, the police are unable to protect their colleagues,” Mondal allegedly said at the rally.

BJP Mahila Morcha President Locket Chatterjee, who was also present at the programme, allegedly asked women supporters to carry arms for their defence. Birbhum District President Ramkrishna Rai and others were also present at the event.

“Six people have been named in the FIR, including Chatterjee and Mondal. Necessary action will be taken. No one has the right to incite violence and create law and order problem,” said a senior police official. While Mondal and Chatterjee have been booked for their controversial speech, others were booked as they were also present at the event, police added.

Sources said they have been booked under sections 115 (abetment of offence), 505 (with intent to incite any class or community of persons to commit any offence against any other community or class), 506 (criminal intimidation), 158 (being hired to take part in an unlawful assembly or riot), 159 (fighting in a public place disturbing public peace) of the Indian Penal Code.

“In Birbhum, there is one person who is known for hooliganism (TMC district president Anubrata Mondal). Take up arms to resort to violence. If we depend on the administration, we won’t be able to do anything. There have been incidents in the past where the police took no action. Hence, I am requesting the woman here to keep themselves prepared and armed,” she was heard saying at the rally.

It wasn’t long back that BJP state president Dilip Ghosh was booked in a case for allegedly threatening the police and stripping their uniform.

Responding to the controversy, a TMC leader said, “They are known for inciting violence through hate speech. They never talk sense. Let the law take its own course. By reacting to these controversies, we don’t want to give them unnecessary importance.”