BJP MPs Locket, Arjun booked for spreading communal hatred

Two BJP MPs, Locket Chatterjee and Arjun Singh, have been booked on charges of triggering communal enmity and hate speech by the Chandannagar police commissionerate for their alleged role in the recent communal violence at Telinipara in Hooghly of West Bengal amid Covid-19 lockdown.

They have also been summoned for questionning. While Ms Chatterjee is an MP of Hooghly constituency of the same district, Mr Singh is an MP of Barrackpore in North 24 Parganas.

Sections 153A (promoting enmity between different

groups on grounds of religion, race), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 469 (forgery for purpose of harming reputation), 505(2) (statement creating or promoting enmity and hatred), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code have been slapped on them in an FIR initiated at the Chinsurah police station on Friday.

Chandannagar police commissioner Humayun Kabir told this newspaper: “The case was started after a local resident lodged a complaint against the two MPs. Our detective department is investigating the case.”

Both the MPs have been summoned by the police for questioning at 12 pm on May 22 for “reasonable complaint,” “credible information” and “reasonable suspicion” against them for “cognisable offence”, mentioned in their notice. Ms Chatterjee has been asked to appear at the Chinsurah women police station while Mr Singh has been asked to appear at the Chandannagar police commissionerate.