The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday filed police complaints against Bengali actor Sreelekha Mitra, seeking her arrest over a poster she was seen holding during a students’ protest in Kolkata earlier this week.
Event Context
The complaints relate to a photograph taken during the July 24 demonstration in the Esplanade area, where protesters had gathered over the alleged NEET examination paper leak and demanded the resignation of then Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Also read | Dharmendra Pradhan resigns as education minister amid massive paper leak protests
Pradhan resigned a day later following student unrest in Delhi and other parts of the country.
Reportedly, the poster displayed by Mitra carried an offensive image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
One of the complaints was filed at Anandapur Police Station by BJP leader and party spokesperson Keya Ghosh, news agency PTI reported.
Reports also said similar complaints were lodged at the Bidhannagar Cyber Crime Police Station as well as several other police stations across different districts.
In her complaint, Ghosh alleged that the actor had publicly displayed an objectionable image of the Prime Minister during the protest.
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“During this rally, Ms Sreelekha Mitra actively participated and publicly displayed a poster featuring a highly derogatory, objectionable and disrespectful cartoon/caricature depicting the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi,” the complaint read.
The complaint further stated, “The poster was deliberately displayed in a prominent public space to mock, demean and insult the constitutional head of the Government of India in full view of the public and media personnel.”
The BJP complaint invoked provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, including Sections 352 (provoking a breach of peace), 353 (publicly supporting provocative conduct), and 356 (defamation). It urged the police to initiate legal action against the actor.
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The complaint also argued,”Expressing disagreement through political protest does not extend to public defamation, intentional insult intended to breach public peace, or outrageous depictions meant to incite public disharmony.”
Responding to the allegations, Mitra said she had attended the protest to express solidarity with students and young people. She maintained that she was not wearing her prescription glasses at the time and did not clearly see the contents of the poster she was holding.
“The police were carrying out a baton charge at the time, so my photograph was hurriedly taken. I never even turned the poster around to check what kind of image of the PM it displayed,” she was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
Rejecting the allegations against her, the actor added, “I may be opposed to the BJP, but calling me an anti-national is completely ridiculous. It is equally absurd if anyone thinks that I deliberately chose to hold that poster and pose for the photograph.”
Keya Ghosh said she viewed the matter as an insult not only in her capacity as a BJP leader but also as a citizen.
“Appropriate legal action should be taken against Sreelekha for sharing such an obscene image. Such conduct deserves strict punishment. She should be arrested immediately. Otherwise, we will approach the court,” Ghosh said.
(With PTI inputs)
