Singer Harassment Shocks Bengal: Police Probe After On-Stage Incident
Singer Harassment Shocks Bengal: Police Probe After On-Stage Incident
West Bengal singer Lagnajita Chakraborty alleges harassment at a Bhagabanpur school cultural programme; police arrest an organizer as authorities launch a departmental inquiry.
Well-known Bengali singer Lagnajita Chakraborty says she was harassed during a cultural programme at a school in Bhagabanpur, Purba Medinipur district. One person has been arrested after she filed a police complaint.
Chakraborty said she started singing 'Jago Maa' from the film Devi Chowdhurani when one organizer, Mehbub Mallik, objected and insisted that only secular songs be performed. She said she felt threatened on stage and stepped down.
The incident has prompted a departmental inquiry against the Bhagwanpur Police Station officer-in-charge, who is accused of discouraging the singer and her team from filing a formal FIR. An officer at the sub-divisional level is overseeing the investigation, according to the district police chief.
Political reactions followed, with the BJP accusing Mallik of ties to the ruling Trinamool Congress, while Congress and CPI-M condemned the act. The Trinamool Congress condemned the incident but said it would be wrong to link the party with every such incident. The case has intensified debate over cultural spaces and secularism in public events.
Authorities say the case remains under inquiry as the school owner faces scrutiny and the broader question of safeguarding culture and secularism at public events continues to unfold.
