KOLKATA: West Bengal government and ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) today, October 4, came under criticism from intellectuals and the civil society after an attack on CPI(M)'s Marxist literature stall and the consequent arrest of senior party leaders.
Senior CPI(M) leaders were allegedly attacked by members of the ruling party on Monday night as they demonstrated against the attack on a temporary Marxist literature booth outside a well-known Puja pandal in the locality the previous evening at the busy Rashbehari Avenue intersection in South Kolkata.
Subsequent to their intervention, the police detained senior CPI(M) leaders including party Rajya Sabha member Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya, CPI(M) state secretariat member Kallol Majumdar, and well-known film director and party supporter Kamaleshwar Mukherjee, who is also a highly respected doctor in the area.
Despite their late-night release, the leaders of the ruling Trinamool Congress have come under fire from intellectuals and members of civil society for attacking a stand selling Marxist literature and for their arrests for taking part in a "peaceful" and "democratic" march.
Expressing solidarity with Kamaleshwar Mukherjee, noted film director. Renowned director of films Kaushik Ganguly claimed Kamaleshwar Mukherjee is not at a loss by his arrest. Abir Chatterjee, a well-known actor best known for playing the legendary Bengali detective character Byomkesh Bakshi, praised Mukherjee for joining the protest and accepting the arrest. He said, "Kamal Da, we love you and we are proud of you.
Srijit Mukherjee, the director of the movie, went a step further and questioned the attack on the bookshop. "What causes their phobias? Books? I am at a loss for words in my condemnation of the arrests. For whatever it's worth, Kamal da, we're with you" he said.
Riddhi Sen, a well-known actor best known for playing Puti in Nagar Kirtan, slammed the move and claimed that it appeared that the state government had completely lost its senses. "What led to Kamaleshwar Mukherjee's arrest? only for taking part in a demonstration against the assault on a bookstall? This is really disgusting " Sen said.
Trinamool Congress, however, is firm about their reasoning, claiming that if not for a banner on the stall that clearly targeted the leaders of the ruling party and read, "Catch thieves and fill up prisons," tension would not have erupted.
Kunal Ghosh, the party's state general secretary and spokesman, claims that his party's officials enjoy reading as well. "However, the CPI(M) was merely attempting to incite our local party members and sow discord during the holiday season with that poster at the bookstall. The police had acted appropriately to stop the inciting, "Ghosh added.
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