Bengal’r ruling party on Monday suspended for a year a former councillor after a video emerged in which he was seen threatening those protesting the rape and murder of the postgraduate trainee at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.

“Didi has instructed us to hiss,” the Trinamul leader, identified as Atish Sarkar from Ashoknagar in North 24 parganas, around 50 km northeast of Kolkata, was seen saying on the microphone at an event in a video that is being widely shared.

“Those of you who are abusing Didi, engaging in her character assassination, if we make obscene posters of your mothers and sisters and put them on your walls, you won’t be able to remove them. That day is going to come soon,” he said in Bengali.

For over three weeks protests against the gruesome rape and murder and the apparent lack of progress in the investigation combined with the state government’s decision to deal with the protests with an iron hand has only helped swell the ranks on the streets.

On Sunday night members from the Bengali television and film industry joined the Calcutta residents in a night-long sit in at the heart of the city.

Atish Sarkar warned those joining the protests to exercise caution.

“If we start hissing at every locality in the mornings and evenings will you be able to step out of your homes?” asked the Trinamul leader.

On the foundation day of the Trinamul’s students’ wing, the chief minister in her address had instructed the Trinamul workers to “hiss” against those maligning Bengal.

In her speech at the event held on Mayo Road, Mamata had said: “If I lose my patience, you have no idea what I can do. I have never been vengeful. I gave the slogan we want change not revenge. I am saying today drop that slogan. Whatever has to be done you [Trinamul members] will have to do. I don’t want any violence, but you can hiss to unmask those conspiring [against Bengal].”

A day later she clarified her words were directed towards the BJP and not the doctors or protesters, and said that a malicious campaign was on. She said the hissing bit was a saying of Ramakrishna Paramhansa.

The words and actions of her party’s functionaries signal otherwise.

Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari shared an audio clip on his X (formerly Twitter) handle where he alleged the Trinamul’s Canning MLA had threatened the local residents who are organising a Reclaim the Night protest at the South 24-Parganas town on Wednesday night.

“The CPM, Congress and BJP have hatched a conspiracy once again to spread canards against our party. I am instructing all party leaders, organisational leaders, representatives at the panchayat and panchayat samity to ensure that no young women or men are allowed to step out of their homes on September 4. If anybody related to any of our party worker or leader joins the movement, we will suspend him immediately,” the voice in the audio clip is heard saying.

This is not the first time that Trinamul leaders have threatened doctors, students and others joining the protests and demanding a safer work environment at state-run medical colleges and hospitals. The north Bengal development minister Udayan Guha had threatened to break the hands of those who raised fingers at the chief minister.

“MLA Paresh Das is no fringe element, he is what TMC stands for - violence, threats, obstructionism, intimidation, coercion etc,” wrote Suvendu on his ‘X’ handle. “Mamata Banerjee enjoys her power through such elements. Be it Sheikh Shahjahan of Sandeshkhali, Anubrata Mondal of Birbhum, Anarul Hossain of Bogtui, Sandip Ghosh of RG Kar. The list goes on. The excuse of exception is a farce, it is the reality of TMC.”

Suvendu added: “So, if anyone is still hopeful that Mamata Banerjee and her party members stand for justice, please listen to this audio clip. Bengal will only recover once Mamata Banerjee resigns. Till then there is no hope.”

Adhikari’s post was made on Sunday a day before the special session of the Bengal legislative Assembly is to be convened from today onwards where a law to expedite investigation, trial and capital punishment for rapists will be passed.

The same day, on Sunday, Guha said at a party event on Sunday in his constituency Dinhata, more than 700 km from Calcutta by train: “If they bite us once, we have to retaliate with five bites."