A day before the first phase of polling in Bengal, a Krishnanagar court issued a non-bailable warrant against poet Srijato Bandyopadhyay.
“Amaar naam-e greftari parowana jari hoyechhe. Khobor ta bhuyo noy, ek sho bhag satyi. Apatoto ei tukui. Baki katha pore hobe (An arrest warrant has been issued in my name. It is not fake news, it is 100 per cent correct. Only this much for now. Rest I will say later,” the poet wrote on social media on Wednesday evening.
In the midst of her hectic campaign chief minister Mamata Banerjee spoke about the poet’s imminent arrest.
“Somebody called up Srijato and told him the cops are going to his home to arrest him. I called him up immediately. E abaar ki (What is this)?” Mamata said during an election rally on Wednesday.
According to the warrant issued by the additional chief judicial magistrate, it was issued under section 200 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) and section 190 of the CrPC.
Under section 200 of the CrPC a magistrate examining a private complaint can examine the complainant and witnesses under oath, to determine whether the complaints merits to be taken forward. The section 190 of the CrPC empowers a magistrate to take cognizance of offenses, and allows initiation of criminal proceedings, acting as a check on police authority based on complaint, police reports or personal knowledge.
Srijato was earlier summoned by a Siliguri court in connection with a nine-year old case regarding a “controversial” poem penned by him.
A college student from Bagdogra, Siliguri, filed a complaint at a cyber crime police station against the poet allegedly hurting religious sentiments. Srijato had reportedly failed to appear in court despite repeated summons.
In 2017, Srijato posted a 12-stanza long poem titled “Abhishap” (Curse) on his official Facebook page right after Yogi Adiyanath became chief minister of Uttar Pradesh for the first time.
The last two lines of the poem sparked intense controversy especially among ‘Hindutva’ groups, in particular, alleging that the poet made an objectionable remark about the sacred Hindu symbol “trishul,” identified with Lord Shiva, and hurt religious sentiments of Hindus.
A case was registered under IPC Section 295A (hurting religious sentiments) and Section 67 of the IT Act.
At that time, too, he had received support from the Bengal chief minister and a large section of Bengal’s intellectual community, with the state assuring protection.
The 50-year-old poet has maintained that his poem was misinterpreted, calling the case an attack on freedom of expression and an attempt to silence literature. The poem was initially removed from Facebook following the complaints but was later restored, with the platform stating its removal was an accident.
After years of delay, the Calcutta High Court in 2022 directed the Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate to submit a probe report, reviving the investigation.
