‘Saffron party’ threatening Bengali poet Srijato: Mamata

Kolkata, March 23 (IANS) In a veiled attack on the BJP, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said a certain party "engaged in saffronisation" is threatening Bengali poet Srijato Bandyopadhyay who is courting controversy over a poem that allegedly hurt Hindu religious sentiments.

Banerjee said she will ensure the writer is protected.

Throwing her weight behind Srijato, the Trinamool Congress supremo said: "A particular party, engaged in saffronisation, is giving threats to Srijato on social media. It is unfortunate. It is a political poem. I will take care that he faces no problem. Let him write poems."

Terming Srijato's penmanship as his democratic right, Banerjee said she has sought a report from the police over the issue.

"Srijato wrote a poem. It is his democratic right. I have told police to submit a report to me," Banerjee told TV channel ABP Ananda in an interview.

A police complaint was lodged against Srijato for posting a 12-line poem titled "Abhishaap" ("Curse") that was posted on Facebook on March 19, the day Yogi Adityanath was sworn in as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister.

The complainant Arnab Sarkar (said to be a member of Hindu right wing group) filed a general diary complaint at the Cyber Crime Police Station of northern West Bengal's Siliguri Police Commissionerate on Monday night, demanding Srijato's arrest and exemplary punishment for the post.

On Thursday evening, Srijato and his wife Durba, lodged a complaint with the Kolkata Police cyber cell for receiving obscene messages on Facebook Messenger.

They said they are also receiving "con calls" from unknown numbers.

A case has been lodged under IT act 67 and IPC 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) on the basis of his complaint.

They have been provided with a bodyguard from the special branch of Kolkata Police for security.

"Necessary steps will be taken for the poet's security," Joint Commissioner of Police (Headquarters), Supratim Sarkar said.