Kolkata's cultural fraternity assembled on Friday evening in front of the Academy of Fine Arts to protest the arrest warrant issued against poet Srijato Bandyopadhyay. The warrant followed a complaint lodged by a lawyer from Nadia district.
Protest Organized by Desh Banchao Gana Mancha
The meet was organized by the Desh Banchao Gana Mancha. Srijato had posted a 12-line poem titled 'Abhisaap' after Yogi Adityanath was sworn in as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister in 2017. The last two lines of the poem courted legal controversy.
Voices from the Protest
Suman Bhattacharya of the Mancha said, "Today, the attack is on Srijato. Tomorrow it can be against any of us." Among many who protested were Parambrata Chatterjee, Saikat Mitra, Sujato Bhadra, Pranati Tagore, and Anuradha Dev.
Filmmaker Ananya Chakraborti said the warrant is "a step towards establishing fascism." Reacting to the event, Srijato said: "I am grateful to sensible fellow citizens."
