Three West Bengal content creators arrested over posts critical of BJP government, Alt News reports

Three social media content creators in India's West Bengal have been arrested over posts criticising the BJP-led state government and its policies, with one still in police custody, according to a report by Alt News.

The three creators are Akash Sarkar, Surajit Shee and Srimoyee Chakraborty. They were arrested or detained between October 24 and 26 after publishing social media posts questioning the government's handling of a deadly Durga Puja stampede in Kolkata and other political issues.

Sarkar was granted bail on October 29 after spending three days in police custody, while Chakraborty was released on a personal bond of Rs 2,000 on October 26. Shee, however, remains in police custody until November 6.

Shee, who runs a Facebook page called 'Core Bangla-Janakantha' with more than 252,000 followers, was arrested in connection with posts questioning the official account of the Chorbagan stampede, which killed 19 people in Kolkata during Durga Puja.

One of his posts questioned discrepancies between the government's figures and accounts shared by members of the public, while accusing those in power of misusing the law to silence ordinary citizens.

According to Alt News, Shee had faced harassment from local BJP and RSS workers over his social media content. Dipak Roy, a key member of the organisation Bharatiya Biggyan o Juktibadi Samity, told the outlet that Shee's house was allegedly attacked before his arrest.

Roy claimed that around 15 to 20 BJP-RSS workers surrounded the house of a friend in Contai, where Shee had taken shelter, assaulted him and handed him over to the police on October 24.

He also alleged that Shee's family was unable to obtain the legal documents related to the case until two days after his arrest. Police have reportedly seized Shee's mobile phone without providing his family with a seizure list.

An FIR against Shee was filed under Sections 152, 197 and 353 of India's Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), concerning acts endangering the country's sovereignty and integrity, assertions prejudicial to national integration and statements amounting to public mischief.

Shee's maternal uncle, Tapan Jana, told Alt News that police initially sought seven days of remand when Shee was produced before a court on November 2. The court, however, granted four days of police custody.

Akash Sarkar, 30, was arrested from his home in Nagerbazar on October 25 and granted bail on October 29.

He told Alt News that police questioned him over Facebook posts concerning the stampede, the government's response to the tragedy and comments targeting BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari.

Sarkar had alleged that Adhikari's nephew was the chief patron of the Durga Puja committee where the stampede took place and called on him to take responsibility for the deaths.

He also criticised the police's handling of the Durga idol immersion process, questioning the government's claim to represent Sanatana Dharma.

An FIR against Sarkar was registered under Sections 356(1), 353(1)(2) and 299(1) of the BNS, relating to criminal defamation, statements promoting public mischief and deliberately outraging religious feelings.

Sarkar alleged that police personnel told him that local BJP legislator Tarunjyoti Tiwari had taken a personal interest in his case. He also claimed that police suggested they were acting under pressure from senior officials despite the charges being weak.

Srimoyee Chakraborty was detained at Bidhannagar East police station on October 26 and released later that day on a personal bond of Rs 2,000.

Her Facebook posts had repeatedly criticised the BJP-led state and central governments, including their handling of the Chorbagan stampede and the subsequent Durga idol immersion.

However, it remains unclear which specific post prompted the police action against her.

Alt News reported that its attempts to contact the Dantan and Contai police stations for comments were unsuccessful before publication.

The arrests have drawn attention to the use of criminal laws against social media users critical of the state government, particularly following the deadly stampede and the controversy surrounding the subsequent immersion of the Durga idol.