West Bengal cop sparks row after BJP spots him wearing TMC scarf at Iftar party
BJP state general secretary Jagannath Chatterjee alleged that the incident reflects “an ecosystem” created by the ruling TMC.
A police officer from West Bengal’s Nadia district has sparked a political row after he was spotted wearing a Trinamool Congress badge and scarf at an Iftar during the ongoing month of Ramzan.
Posting a photo taken at the March 22 Iftar party, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state president Sukanta Majumdar called Anindya Mukherjee, the inspector-in-charge of Nadia’s Chapra police station, “a TMC stooge” on X.
Chapra, part of the Krishnanagar Lok Sabha seat held by TMC MP Mahua Moitra, is home to a sizeable Muslim population. Two of the seven assembly segments in the Lok Sabha seat are held by the BJP, who is the main opposition in the state assembly.
The TMC minority cell in Nadia has held several Iftar parties and distributed clothes among the poor during the Ramzan.
Some other local police officers were also invited to the Iftar parties. However, only he was spotted wearing a TMC scarf at a madrasa playground in Islamganj.
“I went there only because it was a social event. A lady was greeting all invitees with scarves and badges. I took those off immediately,” Mukherjee said in his defence.
Rukbanur Rehman, the TMC legislator from Chapra, too defended the officer and said, “A TMC leader was welcoming the guests on the dais. She could not recognise the officer as he was not in uniform.”
Krishnanagar superintendent of police Amarnath K confirmed to the local media on Monday that Mukherjee did attend the Iftar party.
“Attending such social events leads to better coordination with the local population. We are conducting an inquiry to find out what happened,” the SP said.
BJP state general secretary Jagannath Chatterjee, however, alleged that the incident reflects “an ecosystem” created by the ruling TMC.
“A large section of the police force in West Bengal no longer honours the Constitution. They see the TMC’s party symbol as a badge on their uniform. The TMC has created an ecosystem comprising criminals, police and its leaders,” Chatterjee claimed.
