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Row over remarks on the Prophet Suvendu stopped from visiting Howrah, says will move court

The police said that Adhikari was prevented from travelling to Howrah as a "precautionary measure" since prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC have been clamped in many areas in the district and his visit could cause law and order problems.

State BJP chief Sukanta Majumdar with Suvendu Adhikari during a sit-in protest in Kolkata, Sunday. ( Express Photo by Partha Paul)State BJP chief Sukanta Majumdar with Suvendu Adhikari during a sit-in protest in Kolkata, Sunday. ( Express Photo by Partha Paul)

BJP leader and Leader of the Opposition in Assembly Suvendu Adhikari was on Sunday stopped by the police in Tamluk from visiting violence-hit areas of Howrah, a day after clashes broke out in the wake of the remarks on Prophet Mohammad by now suspended BJP leaders. After a heated argument with the police, Adhikari was later allowed to go to Kolkata.

While police said that Adhikari was prevented from travelling to Howrah as a “precautionary measure” since prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC have been clamped in many areas in the district and his visit could cause law and order problems, the BJP leader said that he would approach the court against the police action.

“I have been unlawfully obstructed by West Bengal Police at Radhamoni in Tamluk in Medinipur. Is there a curfew in place in Purba Medinipur district or has Section 144 been imposed? I am moving towards Kolaghat for lunch. How is it prohibited?… I am holding a chair which is equivalent to a Cabinet Minister. So, my advocate will ask the court why I was stopped,” Adhikari said in a series of tweets.

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Adhikari also shot off a letter to Chief Secretary Hari Krishna Dwivedi, asking him to allow him to visit “BJP party offices in Howrah that have been vandalised”. “Many BJP offices in Howrah district have been vandalised. As the Leader of the Opposition, I will be visiting such offices alone, and therefore the question of violating Section 144 does not arise,” he wrote.

Reacting to Adhikari’s tweets, Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar sought an “immediate response” from the Chief Secretary. “Chief Secretary has been called to effect immediate response to the communication sent by the Leader of Opposition. This in context of earlier curtailment of his rights is inappropriate. Why have an undeclared emergency!” the Governor tweeted, sharing an image of a letter earlier written by Adhikari to Dwivedi.

Festive offer

Upon reaching Kolkata, Adhikari headed straight to the site of party colleague and state BJP chief Sukanta Majumdar’s sit-in demonstration against the TMC government over Howrah violence. “I did not get down from my vehicle, even while passing by our gutted party office in Uluberia. I offered tributes with folded hands as the car slowed down. We will later purify it with Ganga water,” he said.

State BJP chief Majumdar, who was prevented from visiting Howrah on Saturday, said: “West Bengal Police is busy to stop Opposition leaders. They failed to control violence across the state.”

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Reacting to the development, TMC leader Kunal Ghosh alleged that Adhikari wanted to visit Howrah with the intention of fanning trouble. “What is the need for visiting areas where Section 144 of CrPC has been imposed? He wanted to visit Howrah to create trouble. The BJP wants to destroy the peaceful atmosphere in the state,” he said.

TMC minister Sashi Panja said that Adhikari should cooperate with the administration for maintenance of law and order. “Prohibitory orders are imposed in the areas Adhikari wanted to visit. He should not visit those places as it might cause trouble,” she said.

First uploaded on: 13-06-2022 at 02:06 IST
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