BJP Leader Calls For Probe On "Suspicious Activity". It Was A WiFi Antenna

Suvendu Adhikari, Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly, on Thursday claimed that two "Kashmiri individuals" had sneakily installed a "high-performance" wireless gizmo on their rooftop in Baruipur, a township on the southern outskirts of Kolkata. He also shared an image of what appeared to be an antenna. However, Mr Adhikari's Sherlock-style probe turned out to be a bust - the two men are not from Kashmir, and the antenna was part of a JioFiber internet connection.

The device in question, a NanoBeam 2AC wireless network bridge, is typically employed for long-distance, high-speed wireless internet transmission. Mr Adhikari suggested this installation may be linked to suspicious activities, and publicly called for a probe by both the state police and the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

"A local contact of mine has shared information with me that two Kashmiri individuals have installed a NanoBeam 2AC compact and high-performance wireless network bridge at the rooftop. Its designed to provide efficient and reliable solution for high-speed, long-distance wireless connectivity. I would request DGP @WBPolice @NIA_India to look into it and find out whether any suspicious activity is going on," Mr Adhikari wrote on X. 

Within hours of the remarks, Mr Adhikari's post was plastered with a Community Note by X, citing a Baruipur Police statement refuting his allegations. 

"The input was immediately verified locally. In reality, the two individuals, one of them a Hindu and the other a Muslim, both from Madhya Pradesh, rented a flat in Baruipur about three weeks ago. Engineers by profession, they were exploring business opportunities in pisciculture in West Bengal through a local friend. There is a simple Jiofibre network in their flat as is used by numerous citizens, with nothing suspicious about it," police said. 

According to the police, they relocated to Kolkata approximately one year ago and rented a two-bedroom apartment in Baruipur. 

The incident occurred against the backdrop of heightened tensions following the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, which resulted in the deaths of 26 people, including one from West Bengal. 

On Thursday, Mr Adhikari visited Bitan Adhikari's family in the Baisnabghata locality of south Kolkata. Bitan, who had been residing and working in Florida, was killed in the attack.

"I am hopeful that both the Centre and the state government will promptly provide financial compensation. Bitan was the only earning member of the family and lived in Florida. His wife is a homemaker, and his ailing parents live in Behala," he said.