Kolkata, Sept. 10 -- Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Thursday directed the Kolkata Police Commissioner to arrest protesters who staged stir by burning posters of Bageshwar Dham seer Dhirendra Shastri.
Speaking in the Assembly, Adhikari said a religious leader was free to express views on his beliefs, traditions and culture but could not impose them on others. Referring to the protest, he told the CP: "Those people must be arrested. This will not happen in this state."
No FIR had been registered till the report went to print.
Shastri drew criticism in Liluah for telling people to avoid fish and meat during Durga Puja and calling those who did not follow his diktat "pakhandi" (hypocrites), prompting accusations of insulting Bengali culture. TMC leader Kunal Ghosh said Shastri had "insulted Bengalis" and that people would not learn how to celebrate Durga Puja from him. He questioned the Chief Minister's directive against those protesting the seer's remarks.
CPI(M) MLA Mustafizur Rahman said nobody could dictate what people should eat or wear, and questioned the BJP's position on the issue.
Meanwhile, Pradesh Congress president Subhankar Sarkar said he had directed party workers to lodge FIRs against Shastri across Bengal and would personally lead the campaign in Kolkata.
Invoking Sri Chaitanya, Ramakrishna Paramahansa and Swami Vivekananda, Sarkar said Bengal's culture was rooted in openness, tolerance and sacrifice.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.