Tension flared up in South Kolkata's Bhabanipur on Friday evening after West Bengal Bharatiya Janata Party president Sukanta Majumdar and London-based doctor Rajatshubhra Bandyopadhyay were detained by the police after a brief roadside conversation, triggering protests and a political storm.
The drama unfolded after Majumdar, a Union minister of state, defied police restrictions and rode a motorbike to Bhabanipur to observe 'Paschimbanga Dibas' (West Bengal Day).
He garlanded the statue of Syama Prasad Mookerjee before proceeding to meet Bandyopadhyay at his residence on Harish Mukherjee Road.
As Majumdar's convoy neared the area, it was intercepted by police officials who claimed the doctor was not at home.
However, shortly thereafter, a video released by the BJP on social media showed Bandyopadhyay at his residence, prompting an angry response from party supporters gathered nearby.
Tension escalated as BJP workers got into a heated argument with police officers, alleging that they were being misled and that the state government was weaponising the police to prevent even symbolic political gestures.
Amid the standoff, Bandyopadhyay walked down from his residence to the street and met Majumdar.
The doctor had recently drawn attention by questioning Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee during a lecture at the Kellogg College in London, an event that saw disruptions reportedly over his remarks.
The conversation between the two was soon interrupted as both Majumdar and Bandyopadhyay were bundled into police vehicles and taken straight to the city police headquarters at Lalbazar.
For what reason have we been detained? I have no clue. Nowhere in the world does something like this happen, Majumdar told reporters while being escorted into the van.
BJP workers alleged that many of them were dragged away as they tried to resist police action.
"Is this democracy? Even a doctor's house visit has now become a crime?" asked a local BJP worker.
This is nothing short of state-sponsored goondaism. They are scared of a doctor who asked questions, and a minister who came to meet him, BJP leader Sourav Sikdar said.
Responding to the incident, the ruling Trinamool Congress defended the police.
The BJP is creating provocations. The doctor in question has a track record of inciting controversy. The police acted in accordance with the law to maintain peace in a sensitive locality, said TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh.
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