- Police filed an FIR against TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee for provocative speeches in Bengal polls
- Complaint by social worker Rajiv Sarkar alleges Banerjee's speeches aimed to incite enmity
- Banerjee reportedly threatened Union Home Minister Amit Shah during campaign events
Police filed a First Information Report (FIR ) naming Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Abhishek Banerjee on Friday on charges of delivering provocative speeches during the poll campaign in West Bengal last month, which allegedly aimed at creating enmity and disrupting public order.
In the complaint filed by a social worker named Rajiv Sarkar against the Diamond Harbour MP on May 5, it was alleged that Banerjee had delivered provocative speeches between April 27 and May 3 at multiple locations during the election campaign and had issued threats against Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
In his complaint, Sarkar Sarkar quoted Banerjee's purported remark at a a pre-poll event in Kolkata on April 7. "I will see who comes to save them on May 4. I will see which godfather from Delhi comes to their rescue," the complaint quoted Banerjee as saying.
Among the sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) under which the FIR was filed naming Banerjee were those pertaining to inciting riots, spreading hatred by disrupting harmony between different groups, instilling fear of death, undermining harmony through threats and spreading false statements.
Just a day before the case, former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, accompanied by senior TMC leaders Chandrima Bhattacharya and Kalyan Banerjee, appeared before the Calcutta High Court to argue a case in connection with alleged post-poll violence and attacks on party offices. The TMC chief submitted that at least 10 people have been killed, some 150-160 TMC party offices vandalised and around 2000 instances of violence recorded in the state in the aftermath of the election results.
Banerjee referred to pictures submitted to the court and said that women, children and members of the minority community have been specifically targeted, while party offices have been "looted and captured in front of the police". She sought urgent judicial intervention to protect the people of the state from the attackers.
The Calcutta High Court directed the West Bengal government to "strictly maintain law and order at the ground level". It also directed the police to ensure the safety of absconders who fled their homes fearing post-poll retribution violence, and arrange for their safe return to their properties, irrespective of party affiliations.
The bench directed the state to file its affidavit-in-opposition within three weeks and has granted a window of an additional two weeks to file an exception to it, while keeping the question of maintainability of the TMC's PIL open.
