Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) supporters on Saturday held protests all across the State over the arrest of party youth wing leader Bappa Chatterjee on social media. Mr. Chatterjee, the secretary of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, the youth wing of the BJP, was arrested on Friday for allegedly sharing a doctored photograph of a signboard of the Asansol Municipal Corporation.
Among those detained for State-wide protests was BJP youth wing president Soumitra Khan. Mr. Khan. along with other BJP supporters, held protests outside the office of the Commissioner of Police, Asansol Durgapur Police Commissionerate. He was arrested and released on a personal bond. There was a protest in different districts of the State, including Kolkata, against the arrest of the BJP leader.
Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh said that the police cannot arrest people under the Information Technology Act and these arrests were aimed to weaken the BJP. Union Minister of State and Asansol MP Babul Supriyo also condemned the arrest.
“Strongly Condemn the Arrest & Police Atrocity meted out to @BJYM State Pres Hon’ble MP Soumitro Khan & my BJYM brothers in Asansol who were peacefully protesting the wrongful arrest of BJYM State Sec. Bappa Chatterjee ….,” Mr. Supriyo said. Over the past few months, the police in West Bengal have arrested a number of people for circulating fake or misleading social media posts.
In another development, hundreds of BJP supporters brought out a rally in Howrah district to mark 127 years of Swami Vivekananda’s address to the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago. Party supporters violated all norms of social distancing. Police said that no permission had been taken for the rally. A few days ago, BJP president Dilip Ghosh said that the coronavirus pandemic was over and the State government was imposing a lockdown to prevent the BJP from organising political programmes.
