"Shouldn't Exhaust Himself...": High Court On Petition By BJP's Suvendu Adhikari

Hearing a petition by West Bengal's Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari on an alleged attack by "radicals" during a Kali Puja procession in Kolkata, the Calcutta High Court on Wednesday asked the state government to file a report and ensure that peace is maintained. 

Noting that the petition had been filed by the leader of the opposition in the state Assembly, the court said, "We had earlier said that the first petitioner (Mr Adhikari) should not exhaust himself. He holds a very responsible position. It is very surprising for me to see the leader of the opposition as a petitioner. Usually, it is the head of the party's legal cell or something like that."

Mr Adhikari had alleged that a Kali Puja procession was attacked by a mob in Kolkata's Rajabazar and Narkeldanga areas on Saturday. Posting videos on X, the BJP leader had accused the police of being in a slumber and demanded the deployment of central forces to protect people who are being attacked by "radicals" in Bengal. 

The statements were seen as an attack on the Trinamool Congress, which is in power in the state. 

Countering his claim, the Kolkata Police said an attempt was being made to create a false narrative. 

In a post on X, the police said, "An attempt has been made on social media to create a fake narrative about the incident at Narkeldanga. No Kali Puja immersion procession was attacked. The issue was related to the parking of a bike, which led to a fight between two individuals, and escalated."

"However, police intervened timely and brought the situation under control. The scheduled Kali Puja immersion procession was completed peacefully and without any hindrance," it said in the post. 

In court on Wednesday, Mr Adhikari's lawyer argued said some people in West Bengal were waging a war against the integrity of the country and claimed some puja pandals had also been attacked. 

The High Court bench directed the state to file an affidavit with all annexures by November 13 and said a pen drive with a video of the incident must also be placed on record. Posting the matter for hearing on November 21, the court directed the state to ensure that peace is maintained in the meantime.