Kolkata, Jun 20 (PTI) In a dramatic flashpoint echoing the UK's 'Kellogg College Lecture' controversy, West Bengal BJP chief Sukanta Majumdar and London-based doctor Rajatshubhra Bandyopadhyay were detained for several hours by the police on Friday, moments after they held a brief roadside interaction in Kolkata, sparking a political uproar.
Majumdar who is also a Union minister of state and Bandyopadhyay, a British passport holder with roots in South Kolkata, were later released.
The BJP alleged that the detentions were linked to the doctor's now-famous confrontation with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee during a lecture at Kellogg College, Oxford University, in March.
Bandyopadhyay had asked the CM to name a single major industry that had come to Bengal during her tenure, following which chaos ensued and university security had to intervene.
After his release, Majumdar alleged that he was "arrested" at the behest of the chief minister and TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee and that democracy is in peril in West Bengal.
"I don't know the reason behind my arrest. I will move the court (against the arrest) and write to the Union home minister. I want to know the necessity behind having so much security on the road next to the residence of a TMC MP who does not enjoy any official position. Why my movement in that area be restricted?" Majumdar told reporters.
He was alluding to Abhishek Banerjee whose residence is located in the area with a strong police presence in the locality.
In a jibe at Mamata Banerjee, Majumdar asked why the administration is scared about the movement of a "halfpant minister" and seeks to stop his movements.
The CM recently described Majumdar as a 'half pant minister', referring to his junior minister status.
Majumdar said, "From Maheshtala to Harish Mukherjee Road, they are stopping me everywhere. Why are they not allowing me to interact with people? Why are they putting obstacles in observing Paschimbanga Divas?"
The detention triggered a political uproar with the BJP accusing the state government of using the police to "muzzle dissent" and "criminalise symbolic gestures."
While Bandyopadhyay was set free in the afternoon, Majumdar along with other BJP activists including Yuva Morcha leader Indranil Khan was released in late evening.
The episode unfolded after Majumdar, defying police restrictions, headed to Harish Mukherjee Road to meet Bandyopadhyay at his residence.
However, as his convoy neared the location, police intercepted it and claimed that the doctor was "not at home."
Shortly after, a video posted by the BJP showed Bandyopadhyay at his residence, contradicting the police version and sparking protests from party workers gathered nearby.
In the video, Bandyopadhyay was heard saying he had been waiting for over an hour to meet the minister.
Tempers flared as BJP workers clashed with police personnel, accusing them of "lying to obstruct a simple meeting."
Amid the standoff, Bandyopadhyay descended from his apartment and briefly interacted with Majumdar on the road.
The conversation, however, did not last long. Both Majumdar and the doctor were swiftly bundled into separate police vehicles and taken to the city police headquarters at Lalbazar, even as party workers tried to resist and allegedly were manhandled.
"For what reason have we been detained? I have no clue. Nowhere in the world does something like this happen," Majumdar told reporters while being escorted into a police van.
Bandyopadhyay, who has been living in the UK for decades, also spoke to reporters after he was released.
"Is this the way to treat a British citizen? What crime have I committed? Is it a crime to meet a Union minister in Bengal? The police need to answer on what grounds I was picked up like a criminal," he said.
BJP leader Sourav Sikdar alleged that this is nothing short of "state-sponsored goondaism".
"They are scared of a doctor who asked questions and a minister who came to meet him. The state is weaponizing the police," he claimed.
Local BJP supporters echoed similar sentiments, with one worker asking, "Even a doctor's house visit is now a crime in Bengal? What democracy is this?"
Responding to the incident, the ruling Trinamool Congress defended the police action, accusing the BJP of "stage-managing provocations."
"The BJP is creating deliberate provocations in sensitive areas. The doctor in question has a track record of inciting controversies. The police acted in accordance with law to ensure peace," TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said.