Kolkata Police has summoned former mayor and former MP Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya to two police stations in connection with complaints over a social-media post he published after attackers allegedly targeted his residence. The notices direct him to appear at Garfa Police Station on October 13 and Kasba Police Station on October 14.
The summons were issued after Bhattacharya described the alleged attackers as “Hindutva goons” and later blamed “Hindutwawadis” for orchestrating the incident. Police questioning is expected to focus on the wording of the post and whether it could have breached public peace under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act.
The police action follows an attack on Bhattacharya’s home at around 5am last Thursday. According to the allegations cited in the report, liquor bottles were thrown at the property, windowpanes were damaged and the senior lawyer was subjected to obscene verbal abuse. Kolkata Police subsequently arrested app-bike rider Bappa Guchhait, 29, in connection with the incident.
The Garfa Police notice, issued under Section 35 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, refers to Garfa Police Station Case No. 215, dated October 8. The case has been registered under Sections 299 and 196(a)(1) of the BNS and Section 67 of the Information Technology Act, 2000.
The notice states that “reasonable grounds” existed to question Bhattacharya to ascertain facts and circumstances related to the investigation. It directs him to appear before the investigating officer during office hours at Garfa Police Station on October 13. A separate notice requires his appearance at Kasba Police Station the following day.
Bhattacharya said he would pursue legal remedies. “I have not received any official summons yet. They can file as many FIRs as they want. I will fight them under due process of law,” he said, according to the report.
The episode has also drawn a response from chief minister Suvendu Adhikari, who said the state had taken the attack on Bhattacharya’s residence seriously and had directed Kolkata Police to identify and arrest those involved. Adhikari said the arrested person was a Trinamool worker and had photographs with party members.
The chief minister also objected to the language used in Bhattacharya’s post and said that, although police had arrested a person involved in the attack and acted on Bhattacharya’s written complaint, Bhattacharya was “also not above the law”.
Investigating officers said the questioning would examine the social-media content and its potential to cause a breach of public peace. The next immediate steps in the case are Bhattacharya’s scheduled appearances before the Garfa and Kasba police authorities.
