West Bengal: Congress Leader Kaustav Arrested For Comments On Mamata

West Bengal Congress spokesperson Kaustav Bagchi was arrested on Saturday after a huge team of the Kolkata Police raided his residence around 3.30 am over his comments against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Bagchi, also a lawyer at the Calcutta High Court, was arrested from his residence in Barrackpore in North 24 Parganas district based on a complaint filed at the Burtolla police station in Kolkata, around 22 km away. Criticizing the chief minister for making "personal attacks" on state Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Bagchi on Friday threatened to circulate a controversial book written by a former TMC MLA about Banerjee -- first at a press conference and then, on TV shows.

Bagchi was booked under IPC sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 354A (sexual harassment), 504 (Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 505 (statements creating or promoting enmity), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 509 (utterances intending to insult the modesty of a woman). When produced before the additional chief metropolitan magistrate at Bankshall court, he was granted bail on a personal bail bond of Rs 1,000 with one surety. The court directed him to meet the investigating officer once a week. The prosecution prayed for Bagchi's police custody till March 10 for questioning him, alleging that he was involved in a conspiracy.

Praying for bail, Bagchi's lawyers questioned why an advocate was arrested by the police early in the morning from his residence, instead of being served a notice. The arrest was not necessary since the charges against him in the FIR do not entail a sentence of over seven years, his lawyers told the court. High drama unfolded at the court premises throughout the day as a large number of Congress workers gathered in support of Bagchi, raising slogans and often jostling with the police. While coming out of the court after getting bail, Bagchi shaved his hair, claiming that he will continue to remain bald till the Mamata Banerjee government is in power in the state. "It is going to get tough, will snatch Mamata Banerjee's night's sleep," he told reporters.

The TMC demanded an apology from Bagchi, stating that he hurt the sentiments of the people of West Bengal by "disparaging" comments on the chief minister. "The chief minister was insulted by the disparaging comments made against her and her family. The TMC demands an unconditional apology from Bagchi," state minister Sashi Panja said. In a Facebook post, TMC state secretary Kunal Ghosh said Bagchi's comments should have been fought politically, and his arrest will only glorify him. He clarified that it was his personal opinion. The state Congress questioned whether Bagchi was a terrorist that police rwhend his house in the dead of the night. "Because he criticized the chcriticizeder, the police attacked him. Police raided his house at 3 am, proving that if anyone criticizes the criticizer, he will be treated like a terrorist," said the state Congress president.

CPI(M) MP Bikash Bhattacharya, who represented Bagchi in the court, said, "The arrest of a high court lawyer from his house at such an hour, and treating him like a wanted criminal is purely political vengeance. This shows the desperation of the TMC, which is losing touch with the people. The arrest is illegal and unconstitutional." Leader of the opposition Suvendu Adhikari said the state government had egg on its face as Bagchi was granted bail within hours of his arrest. "People, who believe in democracy, are uniting against the TMC government, irrespective of the party lines. It seems the government is scared and hence, this clamp down," he claimed.