West Bengal: FIR against Suvendu Adhikari over threat to East Midnapore SP

TAMLUK: East Midnapore police on Tuesday lodged an FIR against leader of opposition Suvendu Adhikari for violating disaster protocol, admitting to illegal snooping and attempting to stop officers from doing their duty.
The FIR, which has no less than 12 penal sections, was made after the BJP MLA’s speech at a rally on Monday during which he warned district police chief Amarnath K “not to do anything that will lead to you doing duty in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag or Baramulla”. Adhikari had also said he had details of phone calls made to the SP from “the nephew’s office”. The MLA, however, chose not to attach “significance” to the FIR and said: “They keep doing these things. I am not bothered.”
Provisions of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, have been invoked, the SP told reporters on Tuesday. Under the rules, a public gathering of more than 50 people is prohibited in Bengal and a police permission is needed even for smaller gatherings. “Recording private conversations without due protocol is not permissible under the law. Provisions that penalise attempts to stop officers from performing their duty have also been invoked,” the SP said.
Nabarun Naik, who was with Adhikari and BJP’s Tamluk president on Monday, said they would stick to their “August 9 scheduled protest” outside the SP’s office. The Trinamool reacted sharply to Adhikari’s call recording claims. “His admission reeks of illegal snooping. I urge the state government to immediately draw up criminal proceedings and start a probe,” state party spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said.