Suvendu gets interim protection from arrest over remarks on Birbaha Hansda till Nov 11

Calcutta High Court has granted interim protection to Leader of the Opposition, Subhendu Adhikari, regarding FIRs filed against him following allegations of offensive remarks against state minister Birbaha Hansda. Justice Joy Sengupta issued an interim order that explicitly prevents the police from taking any strict, coercive action against the BJP leader until November 11, the date set for the next hearing.

The allegations stem from an incident in 2022 when Adhikari, the BJP MLA from Nandigram, was visiting the Jhitkar forest area in Jhargram. It is alleged that during an altercation after the police had stopped him with a large barricade, Adhikari made derogatory comments directed at state minister Birbaha Hansda, who is a prominent tribal leader.

Following the alleged offensive remarks, Minister Hansda filed a written complaint at the Jhargram ST police station. This action was subsequently followed by the registration of First Information Reports (FIRs) against Adhikari in several other police stations across the state.

The current interim order specifically addresses the FIRs filed against Subhendu Adhikari at the Beleghata and Sankrail police stations. Justice Joy Sengupta's directive ensures that the police are unable to proceed with any strict action based on these particular complaints until November 18.