The arrest of journalist Debmalya Bagchi in West Bengal has sparked controversy and accusations of stifling press freedom. Here’s a summary of the key points from the provided article:
- Debmalya Bagchi, a 33-year-old correspondent with Anandabazar Patrika in Paschim Medinipur district, was arrested on September 6 on charges of assaulting a Dalit woman neighbor.
- The opposition in West Bengal has accused the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) government of trying to silence Bagchi because of his reports on the hooch menace in the area.
- Bagchi’s recent articles had focused on illegal hooch (illicit liquor) trading taking place in the Sanjoal residential area within the Kharagpur Municipality. The TMC had won the civic body elections in this area the previous year.
- Bagchi and another individual named Basanti Das were charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including wrongful restraint, voluntarily causing hurt, assault with intent to disrobe, and uttering words or gestures intended to insult the modesty of a woman. Additionally, they were charged under the Scheduled Caste & Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act based on a complaint lodged by the woman on August 28.
- The woman alleged that Bagchi had verbally abused her and her in-laws with casteist remarks on August 27, and when they protested, he physically assaulted her.
- Bagchi’s articles in Anandabazar Patrika had highlighted the issue of illegal hooch business in the Kharagpur Municipality area. He reported on the indifference of the local administration toward the problem and how individuals involved in the hooch trade had targeted those who complained against them.
- Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, a Congress MP and the party’s leader in Lok Sabha, wrote a letter to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, requesting her intervention to protect press freedom and democracy.
- Suvendu Adhikari, BJP MLA and Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, claimed he was not allowed to meet Bagchi in jail and criticized the situation in West Bengal under what he referred to as Mamata Banerjee’s authoritarian regime.
- The editor of Anandabazar Patrika declined to comment on the matter, and the Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghosh also refrained from making a statement.
The situation appears to be politically charged, with opposition parties and journalists expressing concerns about press freedom and the motive behind Bagchi’s arrest, while the TMC government and its representatives have not commented on the issue.
