A high-stakes legal confrontation grips Kolkata after West Bengal Opposition Leader Suvendu Adhikari petitioned the Calcutta High Court, alleging stark deficiencies in his security detail post a brazen BLO protest. Filed Wednesday, it follows a Tuesday flare-up outside the Chief Electoral Office that exposed glaring vulnerabilities.
Counsel laid bare the facts before the Division Bench of Chief Justice T.S. Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharya: Adhikari’s deputation drop-off met with BLO aggression—shoes airborne, crowds surging—while police watched mutely. The petition indicts this as criminal neglect amid documented perils.
It weaves in context from an ongoing PIL for enforced distancing of political hecklers, now invigorated by the fresh outrage. Demands include ironclad directives to overhaul protection lapses, preventing repeats of such public endangerments.
Parallel precedents sting: The West Midnapore convoy hit, met with inverted policing until court relief. Adhikari’s team argues a pattern of favoritism undermines opposition safety.
Blasting the protesters as ‘TMC proxies,’ Adhikari vowed relentless pursuit. The bench has listed the case for prompt hearing.
Broader ripples: In election-hovering West Bengal, Adhikari’s offensive tests the scales of justice. Success here might mandate statewide safeguards, curbing impunity and upholding pluralistic discourse. Failure? A green light for unchecked hostilities.