March 14: When Animal Farm comes to Bengal, 1984 cannot be far behind.

The Hooghly administration today disallowed the enactment of a Bengali play based on George Orwell’s novella, citing a complaint from a former CPM member of Parliament who probably thought the party could do without stinging anti-communist allegories in the run-up to the election.

In a written order worthy of the Big Brother in Orwell’s 1984 that was written after Animal Farm, Hooghly additional district magistrate R. Alice Vaz told the additional SP: “You are requested to take immediate necessary action as the matter comes under purview of model code of conduct prevailing in the district due to ensuing general Assembly elections…. This may be treated as Election Urgent.”

The additional SP did not disappoint the Big Brother.

A couple of hours before the play — Pashu Khamar (Animal Farm) — was to be staged at the Bansberia High School ground, a police officer arrived with a team and told director Arpita Ghosh and theatre personality Shaoli Mitra that the event could not be held. Both Ghosh and Mitra, who acts in the play, are known to be part of Mamata Banerjee’s culture clan.

The action came a day after former CPM MP Rupchand Pal lodged a complaint against its staging.

“This play is politically motivated and aimed at encouraging the Opposition. The organisers planned this play to gain political advantage. For this same reason, this play was also stopped in Asansol by the administration. That is why we lodged a complaint against the play yesterday. Also, why should such a play be held in a school?” asked Pal this evening.

In Asansol, the play was not held but because of another reason. The main event was called off as it was meant to raise funds for the mayor’s relief fund — something which could have violated the model code of conduct.

But the Hooghly administration’s order was specific to the play. Although the order cited the model code of conduct, it also referred to the complaint of Pal, which was purely political.

The play, supposed to be staged by the group Pancham Baidik, was organised by a club, Yuvak Brinda, whose members are known Trinamul Congress supporters in Bansberia municipality.

The play was scheduled to be enacted after school hours around 6.30pm. “Around 4pm, when we were preparing for the play, a police officer arrived and told us that the play could not be staged. When Arpita asked the police officer what the reason was, he told her there were instructions from a higher level,” Mitra said.

Ghosh said the play was stopped in a pre-planned manner. “The CPM hatched a conspiracy to stop our play. We could not understand how it violated the model code of conduct. This play has nothing to do with present-day politics. On December 24, 2006, this play was scheduled to be held at this venue but then, too, it was stopped,” she said.

An Election Commission official’s reaction suggested that the temptation to play Big Brother is too hard to resist in what is being touted as the world’s biggest democracy.

“We have received a complaint and we are looking into it,” an Election Commission official said. “It would have been a violation of only sound pollution norms if it were an apolitical event. But because the play was reportedly being organised by local activists of the Trinamul Congress, the question of a violation of the model code of conduct arises.”

That raises the curious question if George Orwell would be considered a Trinamul Congress activist by the Election Commission if the author were alive today. The official’s interpretation also suggests that no Congress activist can stage any play on the freedom struggle until elections are over because it could be construed as “politically motivated”.

By late evening, the Bengal Farm was operating at full blast. District magistrate Sripriya Rengarajan said organisers had not obtained permission for staging the play.

The local Trinamul youth wing secretary, Samar Haldar, said the club had applied for permission at Mogra police station and the OC had said permission would be granted.

Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, the one-time playwright who became chief minister, can go to bed in peace tonight, satisfied that his administration has finally succeeded in preventing at least one event from taking place without permission in Bengal.