Kolkata | Kolkata Police on Tuesday arrested Garga Chatterjee, founder of Bangla Pokkho, for allegedly spreading misinformation and creating confusion over Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) through social media posts during the recently concluded West Bengal Assembly elections, officials said.
Chatterjee was arrested by the cybercrime wing of Kolkata Police after he allegedly ignored two summonses issued in connection with complaints lodged over his posts during the election period, officials said.
Police said the action followed complaints from election authorities alleging that Chatterjee's posts violated provisions related to the model code of conduct and cyber laws by spreading misleading information and creating distrust around the voting process.
"The complaint against him was lodged by the District Election Officer of Kolkata North, following which the cyber cell initiated action. He was summoned twice in connection with the matter, but he did not appear, and that is the reason he was arrested today," Kolkata Police Commissioner Ajay Nand told reporters at Lalbazar.
Nand said the police had also taken note of several social media posts allegedly made by Chatterjee targeting different communities and promoting divisive narratives.
"Police have acted suo motu as well. He repeatedly posted content on social media concerning various communities. The posts carried divisive undertones and related complaints are also being added," the commissioner said.
Chatterjee is likely to be produced before a court on Wednesday, and the police may seek his custody for interrogation, sources said.
The arrest comes weeks after Chatterjee, during the election campaign and polling phases, repeatedly questioned the functioning of EVMs and the role of the Election Commission of India through social media posts and public remarks.
During the election campaign, he had targeted the Election Commission through a series of social media posts.
The arrest assumes significance in the backdrop of the politically charged atmosphere following the Assembly elections, which saw a historic change of guard in West Bengal with the BJP coming to power for the first time in the state.
Bangla Pokkho, which projects itself as a pro-Bengali pressure group advocating greater opportunities for sons of the soil, has often courted controversy over its aggressive linguistic and regional identity politics.
It is often identified as a pro-TMC Bengali pressure group which used to propagate the issues raised by the TMC.
