Crime
West Bengal Opposition Leader Reports Repeated WhatsApp Death Threats
West Bengal Assembly Leader of the Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee has approached the police alleging that he received repeated death threats from Bangladesh-based phone numbers over the past three months.
KOLKATA: Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly Ritabrata Banerjee on Tuesday approached the police, alleging that he had received repeated death threats from Bangladesh-based phone numbers over the past three months.
According to people close to the rebel TMC leader, the alleged threats were made through WhatsApp calls between May 3 and August 9. The callers reportedly warned Banerjee that he would suffer the same fate as Bangladeshi-American blogger Avijit Roy, who was hacked to death in Dhaka in 2015.
Banerjee initially did not attach significant importance to the calls, but decided to approach the authorities after the alleged threats continued, according to sources close to him.
He visited the West Bengal Police headquarters at Bhabani Bhaban during the day and reported the matter to the authorities. Police are expected to examine the phone numbers, call records and other available evidence as part of their assessment of the alleged threats.
The complaint comes amid heightened political activity in West Bengal, with authorities expected to investigate whether the calls were genuine threats and identify those behind them.
