The Kolkata Police has registered an FIR against 12 Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators on the basis of a complaint filed by an official of West Bengal Assembly for allegedly “insulting” the national anthem.
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On Wednesday evening, as MLAs of the Trinamool Congress and the BJP were sitting in protests, and raising slogans and barbs at each other, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee asked her party MLAs to sing the national anthem. The allegation against the BJP legislators is that they did not stand up when the MLAs of the Treasury benches including the Chief Minister were singing the national anthem.
“It is very strange that an FIR is being lodged against our 12 MLAs because we were protesting on behalf of the people of Bengal who are suffering due to Mamata government’s alleged malpractices,” BJP MLA Agnimitra Paul told journalists. Senior officials of Kolkata Police visited the State Assembly on Thursday further triggering speculations relating to the case.
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“When the CM appealed to all MLAs to stand for the national anthem, we saw how the BJP leaders behaved and disrespected the national anthem yesterday. Under the Prevention of Insults to National Anthem Act, 1971, individuals who dishonour the national anthem may face either a three-year jail term, a fine, or both,” Trinamool MLA Tapas Roy said
Earlier in the day, the BJP lawmakers staged a walkout from the West Bengal Assembly demanding a discussion on the suspension of the arrested Minister Jyoti Priya Mallick. After the point of order was disallowed by the Speaker Biman Banerjee, BJP lawmakers staged a walkout from the House. The State’s Forest Minister Jyoti Priya Mallick was arrested recently in connection with a scam involving a public distribution system.
“The arrest of a people’s representative and a member of the state cabinet in connection with a money laundering case has lowered the dignity of the House. We demand that unless the minister is proved innocent by the investigating agency and in the court, he should not be allowed to continue as a legislator,” BJP MLA Sankar Ghosh said. Later in the day, Trinamool leadership held protests in the State Assembly by banging cutlery. The MLA of Treasury benches raised questions on the delay in release of central funds.