11 hours ago
Detention of Bengal BJP chief, London-based doctor sparks political row
In a dramatic turn of events in West Bengal, Kolkata Police on Friday detained the state Bharatiya Janata Party president and a London-based doctor, sparking a major political controversy. Police had allegedly blocked Bengal BJP chief Sukanta Majumdar (R) from meeting the doctor, saying he was not at home. (Screengrab/X/@BJP4Bengal)
Union minister and West Bengal BJP chief Sukanta Majumdar had visited the residence of UK-based doctor Rajatshubhra Bandyopadhyay on Harish Mukherjee Road in Kolkata when the incident took place.
The issue comes against the backdrop of Dr Bandyopadhyay's 'Kellogg College Lecture' controversy with West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, which took place in March.
The now-viral confrontation saw the doctor asking Mamata Banerjee to name a single major industry that had come to Bengal during her tenure. The question triggered such chaos that university security was forced to intervene.
Bandyopadhyay, a British passport holder with his origin in South Kolkata, was later released by the police.
However, with the duo's detention, the BJP accused the Mamata Banerjee-led government of using the police to "muzzle dissent" and "criminalise symbolic gestures".
In a post on X, the saffron party's state unit posted raised concern over the "alarming" situation in Bengal, where 'even a Union Minister is denied the basic courtesy of meeting a respected doctor! What could be a more shocking example of lawlessness and political vendetta!'
As Majumdar's convoy neared the doctor's residence, police intercepted it and allegedly claimed that Bandyopadhyay was "not at home".
"But the truth is, the doctor was very much at home and waited for over an hour to meet Dr. Sukanta Majumdar," the BJP stated.
The doctor later stepped out of the residential complex and met the West Bengal BJP chief on the side of the road. Their interaction was cut short by the police, who detained both of them without "giving any reason", the party said.
Police took both Majumdar and the doctor to the city headquarters at Lalbazar, even as party workers attempted to resist.
While being escorted into a police van, Majumdar told reporters, "For what reason have we been detained? I have no clue. Nowhere in the world does something like this happen."
Meanwhile, after being released, Bandyopadhyay spoke to reporters as well and said, "Is this the way to treat a British citizen? What crime have I committed? Is it a crime to meet a Union minister in Bengal? The police need to answer on what grounds I was picked up like a criminal."
The BJP state unit said that this was a "clear demonstration" of CM Mamata Banerjee "wants to silence every voice being raised".
BJP leader Sourav Sikdar described the detention as nothing short of "state-sponsored goondaism".
"They are scared of a doctor who asked questions and a minister who came to meet him. The state is weaponizing the police," he claimed.
Meanwhile, the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress defended the police's action and accused the BJP of "stage-managing provocations".
"The BJP is creating deliberate provocations in sensitive areas. The doctor in question has a track record of inciting controversies. The police acted in accordance with law to ensure peace," said TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh.
