Kolkata (West Bengal) [India]: West Bengal Leader of the Opposition, Suvendu Adhikari hit out at the Mamata Banerjee-led All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) government and alleged that a journalist was arrested on Tuesday for covering vandalism at Kali Puja Pandal and blaming the West Bengal police for an attack on a peaceful procession during idol immersion.
In a post on X Suvendu Adhikari said, “Madhyom (https://madhyom.com ) is a West Bengal-based news portal which covers news & views and perspective on the present state of affairs in West Bengal. Recently the portal uploaded a video covering the vandalism at a Kali Puja Pandal at Dakshindari area (adjacent to Ultadanga) in Kolkata. The video got a substantial amount of views and is getting viral.”
He further claimed that Sanatan Dharma is under attack in West Bengal and there was an attempt to suppress those voices.
“Mamata Police who failed to secure the Kali Puja Pandal and desecration of Maa Kali’s idol, arrested Journalist Ananyo Gupta today. It seems, his fault is that he was covering the truth. This is not just about Free Press, this is an attempt to suppress those voices which raise an alarm when the Sanatan Dharma is under attack in West Bengal,” he further said.
In the video the journalist claimed that there were two incidents of desecration and blamed the TMC government for the unrest. In the first incident, an idol was vandalised in the Dakshindari area for playing the loudspeakers at high volume. He said that although one person was arrested he was kept at a different location and not the prison.
In the second incident, a peaceful group was attacked by a mob at Raja Baazar on Friday night during idol immersion.
Earlier West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee celebrated her 47th Kali Puja and offered prayers to the Goddesses at her residence in Kolkata. She said that over the years she has turned to Maa Kali for strength and guidance.