Kolkata, August 12: Ritabrat Banerjee, the leader of the opposition in West Bengal, visited Bhawani Bhavan, the headquarters of the West Bengal Police, on Tuesday. He has been receiving continuous death threats via WhatsApp from Bangladesh.
Banerjee, who leads a rebellious faction of the Trinamool Congress, is eager to uncover the identity of those behind these threats. Recently, members of Jaish-e-Mohammed, including Hamim Mandal and two associates, were arrested in West Bengal. It was revealed that they were targeting Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari.
The terrorists had surveilled Adhikari’s events, travel routes, and even his residence in Kolkata. Their aim was to exploit vulnerabilities in the Chief Minister’s security. Now, the focus has shifted to opposition leader Ritabrat Banerjee.
Reports indicate that between May 3 and August 9, Banerjee received multiple threatening calls, all originating from Bangladeshi numbers. He was warned via WhatsApp that his fate could mirror that of Abhijit Roy, a free-thinking blogger murdered in 2015.
Initially, Banerjee did not take these threats seriously. However, the persistent nature of the calls has created a climate of fear, prompting him to contact Bhawani Bhavan on Tuesday.
Police sources confirmed that a formal complaint has been lodged. Abhijit Roy was killed near the Amar Ekushey Book Fair in Dhaka on February 26, 2015, while his wife, Rafida Ahmed Bonya, was severely injured. It was later established that members of the banned terrorist organization Ansar al-Islam were behind the attack.
Recently, exiled Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasrin spoke about Abhijit Roy in Kolkata. Speculation suggests that the same organization responsible for Roy’s murder may be behind the threatening calls to Ritabrat Banerjee.
The police have initiated an investigation to determine the individual or organization making these threats.
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