Cartoonist gets second intimation from X for making objectional cartoon of Mamata
Telegraph | 24 June 2025
Cartoonist Manjul received a second intimation from social media platform X on Sunday on one of his six-year-old cartoons on chief minister Mamata Banerjee, citing an objection, this time from Kolkata Police.
The intimation came within four days of the cartoonist having received a similar communication from X, which had informed Manjul about an objection raised by the Bengal Police.
The cartoon, dating back to May 2019, highlighted the wave of defections from the TMC to the BJP before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
The cartoon was originally published in an online portal and later reposted by Manjul on his X account (then Twitter) in May 2019.
“Seems the police have no other work to do. Now Kolkata Police have sent a letter to X to pull down an old cartoon for which I had received a similar notice at the behest of the Bengal Police a few days ago,” Manjul told this newspaper.
Senior officers of Kolkata Police refused to comment on the matter.
While one of the officers said verification was being done, another officer declined to comment.
On June 18, Manjul had received a similar notice from X informing of the objections raised by the West Bengal Cyber Crime Wing of the Bengal Police on two specific cartoons, both featuring chief minister Mamata Banerjee.
The platform’s letter on Sunday, which Manjul shared with Metro, states: “In the interest of transparency, we are writing to inform you that X has received a request from Kolkata Police regarding your X account, @MANJULtoons, that claims the following content violates the Information Technology Act, 2000of India.”
The letter includes links to the disputed post and adds: “We have not taken any action on the reported content at this time… As X strongly believes in defending and respecting the voice of our users, it is our policy to notify our users if we receive a legal request from an authorized entity to remove content from their account.”
“While X is not able to provide legal advice [or translate any attached legal process], we want you to have an opportunity to evaluate the request and, if you wish, take appropriate action to protect your interests,” it wrote.
Manjul, who received back-to-back intimations from X, said this is the first time he had received two intimations from any social media platform and also from two agencies of the same state.
“This is the first time I have received objections from the law enforcement agencies of the same state on the same cartoon. This also shows how the state machinery is misusing the police,” Manjul said.
“There is not much I can do about it. I am just trying to focus on my work,” he added.
The post in question was not removed by X till Sunday evening.