A police complaint was lodged against two Bengali actors – Parambrata Chatterjee and Swastika Mukherjee – in Kolkata, alleging that their posts on social media in 2021 after TMC’s victory in the Assembly elections instigated political violence against BJP workers in the state.

Lawyer Joydeep Sen, who filed the complaint at Gariahat Police Station in Kolkata, told The Indian Express, “I believe that the social media posts after the results of the Assembly elections in 2021 were clear. Around 4 pm, celebrities, who have considerable influence among the masses, instigated the political violence that took place thereafter.”

“I have shared what both the accused persons have shared on social media. What they wrote abetted violence,” Sen said, referring to Parambrata’s May 2, 2021, post on X (then called Twitter).

In the post, the actor wrote, “Aaj Biswa Rograni Dibas Ghoshana Hok (Let this day be declared world thrashing day)”, to which Swastika replied, “Hahaha, let it be”.

In the complaint, Sen alleged, “The content of the tweet of Parambrata Chatterjee on May 2, 2021, appears to abet, encourage, incite and instigate large-scale violence at such time when favourable  electoral mandate for Trinamool Congress became apparent and reports of grave violence against BJP workers had already started to circulate.”

“In fact, around an hour after this tweet, one Abhijit Sarkar of Beliaghata was brutally murdered by Trinamool Congress cadres, in which case the culprits have already been sentenced,” Sen claimed.

“Parambrata Chatterjee and Swastika Mukherjee being well-known film personalities, were in the position of influencing public mind; and such instigation and abatement by them for violence against BJP workers had the effect of encouraging and abating the TMC criminals harboured by the Trinamool Congress Party to go on a mayhem,” the lawyer claimed, seeking registration of FIR against the two under sections Section 107 of the Indian Penal Code 1860 (abetment to commit crime).