‘Stopped from attending Hanuman Jayanti event’, claims BJP MP in Bengal

Hanuman Jayanti is being observed in West Bengal amid deployment of central armed police forces and the state police.

Bharatiya Janata Party MP Locket Chatterjee on Thursday alleged she was stopped by the Bengal from attending a Hanuman Jayanti procession in her constituency Hooghly, which has been in the news over violence during Ram Navami celebrations last week.

“Does the Bengal Police have the permission to address the local MP as an ‘outsider’ and stop her religious events? Under Mamata Raj, the act of stopping the local MP from visiting her constituency and taking part in religious events amounts to hurting people's sentiments”, she tweeted.

“It is the responsibility of the state government to maintain law and order. Mamata government has clearly failed at this front”, Chatterjee alleged.

BJP MP Locket Chatterjee sits on a dharna after being allegedly stopped from entering Hooghly to participate in Hanuman Jayanti celebrations.(Twitter/Locket Chatterjee)

West Bengal is celebrating Hanuman Jayanti amid strict vigil by the state police and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF). The central forces have been deployed in parts of Kolkata, Hooghly and Barrackpore to help the police in maintaining peace.

The three companies of central forces were deployed following the Calcutta high court order asking the state government to request their deployment in wake of violent clashes that took place in Hooghly and Howrah on the occasion of Ram Navami.

West Bengal governor CV Ananda Bose visited different parts of Kolkata in the morning, oversaw the security measure, and interacted with the people.

"People are cooperating. I think today will be a very happy day. Bengal will set a trend in peace and harmony in society," he told reporters while visiting the Ekbalpore area.

The Trinamool Congress said the opposition BJP will have to behave like ‘good boys’ during celebrations. TMC's general secretary Kunal Ghosh accused the BJP, Vishwa Hindu Parishad and their affiliates of creating problems during Ram Navami celebrations. "But today, as central forces are on the watch, they can't get involved in any such misadventure, and have to act like good boys," he said.