The Kolkata Police on Sunday arrested a student for posting provocative and offensive comments on social media that incited violence against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The arrest comes in the wake of the rape and murder of a 31-year-old trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
The accused, identified as Kirti Sharma, who operated under the Instagram handle “kirtisocial,” allegedly encouraged others to assassinate the Chief Minister in a manner reminiscent of the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The police made the arrest following a complaint lodged at the Taltala police station.
“A complaint was received that the person with Instagram username ‘Kirtisocial’ uploaded three stories related to the incident that recently took place at RG Kar MCH, disclosing the picture and identity of the victim,” a police officer was quoted as saying by news agency PTI. “At the same time, the accused person also shared two stories against the CM that contained offensive comments and life threats to her. Those were very much provocative in nature and might have created social unrest and promoted hatred among communities,” the officer added.
The police confirmed that Sharma would be produced before a court soon.
In response to the arrest, senior Trinamool Congress leader Kunal Ghosh emphasized that the Kolkata Police were only taking action against individuals spreading false information and disclosing sensitive details related to the rape-murder case. “People can protest but in a proper manner,” Ghosh stated in a post on X (formerly Twitter). “If you think you will protest, do it a hundred times in proper language. Do it a thousand times,” he urged. “But giving wrong information, distorted assumptions, fake audio, purposeful inciting posts, names and photos of the deceased, the police will warn you,” Ghosh added.
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In a related development, Kolkata Police summoned TMC MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy on Sunday, following his demand for a CBI investigation into the role of the Kolkata Police commissioner and the former principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. Roy had called for the custodial interrogation of the former principal and the police commissioner to uncover “who and why floated the suicide story” related to the doctor’s death.
The police have also issued summonses to former BJP MP Locket Chatterjee and two renowned doctors, Dr. Kunal Sarkar and Dr. Subarna Goswami, for allegedly spreading rumors and disclosing the identity of the rape and murder victim. An officer informed PTI that Sarkar and Goswami were asked to appear at the Kolkata Police Headquarters in Lalbazar on Sunday afternoon.
In addition to these high-profile figures, the police have issued summonses to 57 others for allegedly spreading misinformation about the incident. The investigation continues as authorities seek to maintain order and prevent further unrest in the state.