1 week ago
Retired Professor Alleges Threats After Communal Harmony Appeal
Mihir Chakraborty is a retired university professor living in Kolkata.
He says he asked a local politician to speak carefully about religious tensions.
He says some people who called themselves BJP supporters became angry with him.
According to Chakraborty, they later came to his home and threatened him.
He says they also asked about his religion.
Teachers and other residents spoke out in support of him.
They said people should be allowed to disagree peacefully.
A BJP district leader said he did not know about the incident.
He also said the party does not support visiting someone’s home late at night to threaten them.
Mihir Chakraborty, 81, alleges that men identifying themselves as BJP supporters threatened him after an Independence Day event in Kolkata.
Chakraborty says he asked BJP MLA Sarbori Mukherjee to avoid inflammatory remarks and promote Hindu-Muslim harmony.
He alleges that the men later visited his home, questioned his religion and warned him of consequences if he did not “mend his ways.”
Teachers, residents and academics condemned the alleged incident as an attack on civil discourse and the right to protest.
BJP district president Manoranjan Joardar said he was unaware of the incident and that the party does not support late-night home raids.
- Who
- Retired University of Calcutta professor Mihir Chakraborty alleges that men identifying themselves as BJP supporters threatened him; BJP MLA Sarbori Mukherjee was present at the earlier event.
- What
- Chakraborty alleges he was threatened after asking the MLA to support communal harmony and avoid inflammatory remarks.
- Where
- At an Independence Day programme in Ward 105 of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation and later at Chakraborty’s home in Dhakuria, Kolkata.
- When
- The alleged exchange and home visit took place on Independence Day, with the visit occurring later that night.
- Why
- According to Chakraborty, the men objected to his remarks to the MLA and accused him of insulting her.
Professor and Supporters
BJP Representatives
What happened at the event
Professor and Supporters
Chakraborty says he politely asked MLA Sarbori Mukherjee to avoid inflammatory remarks and promote Hindu-Muslim harmony, after which accompanying men allegedly told him to go to Pakistan.
BJP Representatives
Mukherjee did not respond to multiple calls and messages, so her account of the exchange is not provided.
What happened at the home
Professor and Supporters
Chakraborty alleges that a group confronted him and his wife, questioned his religion and threatened him if he did not change his conduct.
BJP Representatives
BJP district president Manoranjan Joardar said he did not know about the incident but that the party does not support raiding someone’s home late at night and that legal recourse is available.
Public discourse
Professor and Supporters
Supporting teachers and academics said the incident was concerning and represented a dangerous intolerance of people with different views.
BJP Representatives
The BJP representative did not endorse the alleged conduct and said the party’s position is that such home visits are not supported.
Key facts
- Complainant
- Mihir Chakraborty, 81, retired head of pure mathematics at the University of Calcutta
- Location
- Dhakuria, Kolkata; Ward 105 of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation
- Event
- Independence Day programme
- Alleged perpetrators
- Men who identified themselves as BJP supporters
- Alleged threats
- Chakraborty says the men questioned his religion and warned him of dire consequences
- Support
- Residents and a group of eminent teachers publicly condemned the alleged incident
- BJP response
- Jadavpur organisational district president Manoranjan Joardar said he was unaware of the incident and opposed late-night home raids
Quotes
Alleged BJP supporters
Men accompanying the BJP MLA who were alleged by Mihir Chakraborty to have made the remark
“I have been living here since 1966. I have seen governments come and go, but I have never seen anything like this.”
telegraphindia.com
“Go to Pakistan if you are so concerned about Muslims.”
telegraphindia.com
Achin Chakraborty
Former professor at the Institute of Development Studies Kolkata and signatory to the teachers’ statement
“A senior professor appealed to an elected public representative, stressing the need to preserve communal harmony. For this, his home was raided late in the night. Where are we headed? This trend of going after anyone who is not on the same ideological page is dangerous.”
telegraphindia.com
Sources
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