Shame, Shame Didi!!

Don of Bengal: Mamata Banerjee

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has done it again. Not since former Bihar head, Laloo Prasad Yadav has a CM treated their state as their personal backyard. Mamata’s Trinamool Congress has beaten up Bengali communists, banned English dailies from state libraries, roped in media heads for favourable coverage, and has unflinchingly rooted out any element of political dissent. She has lived up to the oxymoron term ‘democratic dictatorship’ frequently used by the Chinese government. Beyond Bengal, ‘didi’ has strutted her stake in the UPA government, successfully bullying the Centre on the NCTC, FDI in retail, and blocking the passage of significant Railway reforms by pressuring the Centre to sack the former Railway minister, Dinesh Trivedi, who also happened to be her party member.

The cartoon that caused the stir

But now Didi has gone too far. On Thursday night, Ambikesh Mahapatra, a chemistry professor from Jadavpur University in Kolkata was arrested by the police for posting a cartoon on the internet which made fun of Mamata Banerjee. The cartoon depicted her as conspiring with Mukul Roy, the TMC member she later appointed as Railway minister, to get rid of Trivedi. Mahapatra was charged with offences related to defamation, insulting the modesty of a women and cyber crime. He spent a night in Jadavpur jail and was released on bail on Friday. The same day, he filed a counter complaint alleging that he was assaulted by four TMC workers who forced him to give a written declaration that he was a Communist Party of India member and circulated the cartoon on orders of the party. On Saturday, four TMC workers of the New Garia area inSouthern Kolkatawere arrested, but released soon after getting bail on personal security bonds. Mr. Mahapatra released a statement on Saturday,

Ambikesh Mahapatra

“I am still to come to terms with the assault and my subsequent arrest Not only my family and I are apprehensive of our security, even other residents of the housing society are now scared.”

Its one thing if a political leader bullies and pulls strings to enforce the status quo, but the moment politics encroaches on personal freedoms, the politician responsible not only angers citizens but shames the voters who delivered political power. It is particularly disappointing for the Bengalis who voted for Mamata in hopes for change after three decades of Communist rule had spread corruption, poverty, and political gangsterism in the state. Instead, their hope for change runs the state as a fiefdom and is highly suspicious and insecure about losing political clout. Trinamool Congress dissident and Jadavpur Lok Sabha MP, Kabir Suman told CNN IBN, “The Chief Minister is the government.” He added that, “She is suffering from a strange paranoia and persecution mania.”

Political circles have criticized Mamata Banerjee for her action. BJP leader Arun Jaitley, who is frequently featured in cartoons said, “In a democracy, people should learn to laugh at themselves”.

“If caricature denigrates someone, people have the right to complain and take recourse to law,” said Information and broadcasting minister, Ambika Soni. “But arresting is taking things too far,” she added.

CPI leader Prakash Karat

Prakash Karat, leader of the Communist Party of India and the Opposition in Bengal criticized Banerjee for undermining the democratic rights of citizens. “It’s height of intolerance and shows how the state machinery is being used to suppress democratic rights and dissent. This is becoming an increasing feature of the Mamata Banerjee government,” he said.

The citizens of India were not far behind to show their outrage. The Twitterverse exploded with anti-Mamata groups with the hashtag, #arrestmenow becoming viral. People posted comments criticizing the police for cracking down on free expression on the internet and made fun of Mamata. Few witty tweets were,

Nigel Britto @NigelBritto tweeted, “Just realized ‘Trinamool Congress’ is an anagram of ‘Strong-arm colonies’. Actually kinda makes sense, really. #RailBudget #arrestmenow”.

Anant Rangaswami @AnantRangaswami tweeted, “Mamata to Mukul Roy: Roll back all those jokes about me on twitter immediately! #ArrestMeNow”.

Shanu Singh @shanu_singh tweeted, “Mamta Banerjee is making left look heavenly. #arrestmenow”.

Silent Masochist @pradoshkj tweeted, “’di’ inBengaldoesn’t stands for didi . It stands for dictator!” #arrestmenow #Mamata

Moreover, on Saturday over 300 members of the All India Student’s Democratic Organisation (AISDO) came out in protest on the streets of Kolkata in support of Mahapatra, blocking roads and waving placards with slogans against the TMC government. Even though he expressed his fear of TMC’s goons, Mahapatra remained defiant saying, “I am not sorry and will again send such emails in the future”.

The Freedom of expression is one of the most sacred human rights enshrined in our Constitution. Indian freedom fighters fought and died for the right up against the British Raj, and people till today fight for it around the world. Mamata Banerjee’s action is not an issue just for the people of Bengal, but a case where Indian citizens everywhere must express their outrage.

It is the duty of elected officials to be aware of and measure public sentiment, address it through action and intelligent dialogue besides stomp on it using police powers. I understand that there is a thin line between the freedom of expression and defamation, but that is a matter for courts. Freedom of expression issues are ambiguous, Mahapatra required a fair trial by an independent judiciary to deliberate the extent of a crime, if any.

The case raises a troubling question – Can influential personalities if willing, get people arrested for criticism by spinning the word of a law and denying fair trails? Citizens and news media organizations across the country must demand an answer from the TMC and seek a statement from the Centre. While we citizens are disciples of the principle of the freedom of expression enshrined in the Constitution, it is the same right under which the media were created; they have grown, and strived to fulfill their democratic role of being a check against the state.

Mamata Banrejee abused her powers, resorted to political thuggery, denied Mahapatra his rights, branded him a criminal and made him spend a night in jail. Similar to Mahapatra and the AISDO, it is our responsibility as citizens of India as well the news media’s to raise our voices against Banerjee’s dictatorial actions which facilitated the denial of a crucial human right. Multilateral narratives and protests from citizens and the media must be initiated to make Banerjee realize the consequences of abusing the law to undermine the constitutional freedoms of all Indian citizens. American Broadcast legend, Bill Moyers once said, “Democracy works when ordinary people claim it as their own.” We must make her understand that in the end, elected officials rise through the will of citizens and can fall by the same.