Kolkata: Bharatiya Janata Party’s West Bengal unit president and Union Minister of State Sukanta Majumdar has filed a writ petition in the Calcutta High Court challenging what he termed as repeated unlawful detentions by the state police during recent political protests.
In a statement released by his office, Majumdar alleged that the police acted in complete violation of constitutional protections by detaining him without due process. The petition, filed through his legal counsel, invokes Articles 14 (equality before law), 19 (freedom of speech and expression), and 21 (protection of life and personal liberty) of the Constitution, asserting that his fundamental rights were breached.
Majumdar, who also serves as Union Minister of State for Education and Development of North Eastern Region, has urged the court to issue a writ of mandamus directing West Bengal authorities to adhere strictly to constitutional and legal norms while dealing with political protests. He has further demanded a high-level, impartial inquiry into the instances of detention and sought disciplinary action against the officials responsible.
Meanwhile, in a related development, the Lok Sabha Secretariat has sought a factual report from the Union Home Ministry regarding an alleged attack on Majumdar’s convoy by Trinamool Congress supporters in Diamond Harbour on June 19. The request follows a formal complaint submitted by Majumdar to the Lok Sabha Speaker, in which he termed the incident a breach of parliamentary privilege.
In his letter dated June 20, Majumdar alleged that senior police officers—including the Superintendent of Police of Diamond Harbour and the local sub-divisional officer—failed to take adequate preventive or protective measures during the incident.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the West Bengal Police had not issued any official response to either the High Court petition or the breach of privilege allegation.
