In a strong move against online abuse, Trinamool Congress MLA and film director Raj Chakraborty has lodged a formal police complaint following what he describes as "misogynist" trolling directed at his wife, popular Bengali actress Subhashree Ganguly. The incident stems from the recent visit of football legend Lionel Messi to Kolkata, which became mired in controversy and misinformation.
The Core of the Controversy: Misinformation and Malice
Chakraborty asserted that the vicious online campaign against Ganguly was born from false information and constituted a targeted attack on her identity as a woman and a mother. He clarified the sequence of events to dispel the widespread misconceptions. The actress was invited by the event's PR team as a representative of Tollywood to attend a meet-and-greet session at a city hotel on the morning of Messi's event.
Subhashree Ganguly arrived at the hotel at 8:45 AM, as per the schedule which indicated a 30-minute session. The now-controversial photograph with the football icon was taken between 10:00 AM and 10:15 AM at the hotel venue. Notably, director Kaushik Ganguly was also present as a fellow Tollywood representative.
Setting the Record Straight: Stadium Visit and Delayed Post
Chakraborty emphatically denied claims that Ganguly obstructed any fan's view of Messi at the stadium later. He explained that she and former cricket captain Sourav Ganguly were seated inside a tent at the stadium, awaiting the arrival of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, and were not in the general spectator areas.
Addressing the timing of the social media post that triggered the backlash, Chakraborty revealed a technical glitch. Ganguly's team uploaded the photo from the hotel at around 11:00 AM. However, due to signal jammers active at the main event venue, the post was delayed and only went live later, coinciding with the stadium event, which created an unfortunate and false impression.
A Stand Against Cyberbullying and Victim-Blaming
"Subhashree is being trolled because she is a soft target," Chakraborty stated, questioning why she was being singled out when she did not plan the event's logistics. He advised her against deleting the post to avoid appearing guilty. The filmmaker turned politician stressed that the real culprits are those responsible for the event's mismanagement and the subsequent damage to Kolkata's image.
By filing the First Information Report (FIR), Raj Chakraborty has taken a legal route to combat the sexist and abusive online rhetoric directed at his wife. This action highlights the growing concern over cyberbullying of public figures, especially women, and sets a precedent for holding perpetrators accountable for spreading hate and misinformation online.
