Kolkata: A Sikh IPS officer’s allegation that he was called a ‘Khalistani’ by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Suvendu Adhikari, the leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal assembly, has triggered a massive political row in the state, with Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee claiming that the state’s principal opposition party had “shamelessly overstepped constitutional boundaries”.
The incident allegedly occurred Tuesday when BJP leaders were stopped from entering Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas, which has become the epicentre of a political maelstrom over allegations of sexual harassment of local women by absconding TMC strongman Sheikh Shahjahan and his aides.
Two video clips shared by Banerjee and the West Bengal police have led to the issue snowballing into a massive row, with both TMC and the Congress accusing the BJP and Adhikari of being “divisive”. Adhikari, however, has denied using the word “Khalistani”. ThePrint has not been able to independently verify the authenticity of either video.
In the video that Banerjee shared on social media platform X, Senior Superintendent of Police (Intelligence Branch) Jaspreet Singh is heard saying angrily: “You called me a Khalistani? I will take action. If I had not worn a turban, would you have called me Khalistani?”
Today, the BJP's divisive politics has shamelessly overstepped constitutional boundaries. As per @BJP4India every person wearing a TURBAN is a KHALISTANI.
I VEHEMENTLY CONDEMN this audacious attempt to undermine the reputation of our SIKH BROTHERS & SISTERS, revered for their… pic.twitter.com/toYs8LhiuU
— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) February 20, 2024
The BJP’s Asansol (South) MLA Agnimitra Paul is heard saying in response, “You are not performing the duties of a police officer”.
To this, the officer is heard retorting: “I am not speaking about your religion, you cannot raise my religion. Why did you call me Khalistani, why did you speak about my religion?”
Another video, first tweeted by the West Bengal Police, purportedly shows Adhikari standing in the middle of a crowd of BJP members and saying ‘eta hochhe Khalistani‘ (he is a Khalistani).
Stern legal action is being initiated. (3/3)#Honourandduty #WBP pic.twitter.com/ucHCZTLFvk
— West Bengal Police (@WBPolice) February 20, 2024
The state police also held a press conference, where they, led by Additional Director General-South Bengal Supratim Sarkar said that the purported “Khalistani” remark was “just unacceptable”. “We will take legal steps under section 295A (acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class) of the IPC,” he said.
On its part, the BJP has denied having used the word. Holding a counter-press conference, Nandigram MLA Adhikari dared the police to prove the allegation. “I dare Supratim Sarkar to prove that I have used the word within 24 hours else I will take legal action against him,” he said.
ThePrint tried to reach Jaspreet Singh via text messages. This report will be updated if and when he responds. However, in an interview with a Punjabi news channel, Singh has specifically named Adhikari as having used the word.
Also Read: Journalist arrested while reporting in Sandeshkhali, sent to 3 days police custody
‘BJP’s poison of hatred’
In an interview with Punjabi news channel ABC Punjab later in the day, Singh said he had been posted in Sandeshkhali when the BJP delegation asked to proceed.
“Section 144 had been imposed here, and we were talking about the legal implications (of allowing them to proceed) when he (Adhikari) suddenly used the word ‘Khalistani’. After I tried to confront them, they went on the back foot. They had no answer,” he said, adding that after they showed us a court order, they were allowed to proceed.
Soon after the row broke out, the TMC, which has lately been on the back foot over the Sandeshkhali allegations, latched on to it. At a press conference she held Tuesday, TMC leader and state minister Chandrima Bhattacharya said that India had not seen “this level of divisive politics before 2014, the year BJP came to power”.
“Since then, we have seen the BJP engaging in such tactics multiple times. Even during the farmers’ protests (in 2020-21), they had deployed similar tactics. During that agitation, the central government had said in the apex court that Khalistanis had infiltrated the farmers’ protest on Delhi’s borders,” she said.
The party found support in Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, who said that “the ‘poison of hatred’ cultivated by the BJP to decorate its ‘political market’ has spread in the society”.
“People who have been blinded by this poison are neither able to see the farmers, nor the soldiers, nor the respect for khaki. The country is with IPS Jaspreet Singh,” he wrote in a post on X.
अपना ‘राजनीतिक बाज़ार’ सजाने के लिए भाजपा द्वारा की गई ‘नफरत की खेती’ का ज़हर समाज में फैल चुका है।
इस ज़हर से अंधे हो चुके लोग न किसान देख रहे हैं, न जवान और न ही खाकी का सम्मान।
देश IPS जसप्रीत सिंह के साथ है। https://t.co/iL6QnQEmin
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) February 20, 2024
Meanwhile, Sikh supporters of the TMC held protests outside the BJP office in Kolkata and Paul’s home in Asansol.
Also Read: ‘Villain’ or not? Why TMC doesn’t want to write off party strongman Shahjahan Sheikh just yet
This is the same officer who was selected by WB Govt to be part of SIT formed by the order of Calcutta High Court to find/arrest Shekh Shajahan , CBI denied to probe alleging that this officer is another “Mamata police” and will not cooperate rather mislead the investigation so that shekh Shajahan is not captured!!. @Sreyoshi Dey, please focus on the main issue , gather more/detailed info and don’t be biased.If you are biased , then people like me who are paid subscriber, will no longer remain paid subscriber and there will be no difference with other media channels!!
Sikhs are amongst the bravest of Indians. Also generous, symbolised by the langar, open to all. Using slurs like Khalistani is creating a problem where none exists. As hurtful to national identity as asking the members of another minority to go to Pakistan. Tragic outcomes in Manipur as well.