On June 18, political cartoonist Manjul posted on X that he had received a takedown notice. The request came from the West Bengal Cyber Crime Wing, according to a report by The Wire.
The target of the notice: Two cartoons posted in 2019 that featured chief minister Mamata Banerjee.
The state police had flagged them for alleged violation of Indian law.
What Manjul did
One cartoon referred to the spate of defections from the Trinamool Congress (TMC) to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP); the other pointed to the chit-fund scams that reportedly surfaced under the TMC’s watch. Manjul’s work was satirical and recognisable in style. He said the cartoons were political commentary. “For those who think Mamata is different from the BJP,” he wrote in his post.
Old cases echo
This is not the first time the West Bengal government has responded to criticism with legal action or takedown requests. In March this year, the state police filed FIRs against former CPI(M) politburo member Mohammad Salim and BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya. Both had shared a video on X showing a woman being flogged by a local TMC leader in Chopra, North Dinajpur. The post drew widespread outrage. As in Manjul’s case, police sought its removal.
In 2012, Ambikesh Mahapatra, a professor at Jadavpur University, was arrested after he forwarded an email cartoon that featured Banerjee. The legal case continued for a decade. During this time, Mahapatra had to renew his passport every year, unlike the usual ten-year validity.
That same year, at a public meeting, a farmer named Shiladitya Chowdhury asked Banerjee about fertiliser prices. Banerjee called him a “Maoist” and directed police to “catch” him. A legal case followed.
In 2019, Sanmoy Banerjee, a former Congress spokesperson who had criticised the chief minister’s nephew, was arrested. He faced charges including forgery and defamation. He was hospitalised after his release from custody.
In June 2022, YouTuber Anirban Roy, also known as 'Roddur Roy', was arrested from a resort in Goa for posting content that allegedly abused Banerjee and her nephew. He was picked up by Kolkata Police.
In 2023, advocate and former Congress spokesperson Kaustav Bagchi was arrested for allegedly making derogatory remarks about Banerjee. Both Bagchi and Sanmoy later joined the BJP.
In many of these cases, legal sections such as 353 (public mischief), 352 (intentional insult to provoke breach of peace), and 196 (promoting enmity between groups) have been used against critics. These charges are part of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), India’s new criminal law code.
The response to criticism has not been limited to social media posts.
In June 2023, during public protests following the rape and murder of a young doctor at Kolkata’s R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital, several artistes criticised the government’s handling of the issue. In response, TMC leaders called for a cultural boycott.
Party general secretary Kunal Ghosh led the call. Lok Sabha MP Kalyan Banerjee and state education minister Bratya Basu supported the move. Basu, also a playwright and actor, said artists critical of the government should not accept state grants or expect permission for shows. Some theatre and film directors have reported difficulty in accessing performance halls after expressing political views.
Banerjee did not publicly comment on the boycott call. Her silence has drawn criticism from many who see it as a form of approval.
While the state government continues to project itself as a counter to BJP’s national politics, recent events raise questions about how it handles internal dissent — whether online or on the stage.
