Kolkata, Sept. 1 -- Anandabazar Patrika's office on Prafulla Sarkar Street was whitewashed again after a group of saffron-clad protesters painted parts of its entrance saffron and staged a demonstration against the newspaper on Tuesday. The protest followed Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari's earlier objection to a headline on the Jadavpur University attack and his call for an apology, warning that protesters would otherwise turn up in saffron attire.
The protesters, claiming to represent an organisation, gathered outside the newspaper's main building amid police presence, hung a saffron scarf on the gate and staged a brief sit-in. They alleged that while the newspaper was free to criticise the government and the chief minister, it had no right to "insult the colour saffron". They later painted the two pillars beside the entrance before leaving while shouting slogans against the publication.
BJP state leaders distanced themselves from the protest, saying the party had not called for it.
TMC leader Kunal Ghosh condemned the incident as "bullying by brute force".
Anandabazar journalist Soma Mukhopadhyay also condemned the protest, saying: "We have entered a grey period. But grey. Not darkness." She said public outrage and condemnation showed that the situation was not entirely dark.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.