Networking sites not under party scanner: Trinamool

KOLKATA: As the arrest
of a professor for forwarding
cartoons of West Bengal
Chief Minister Mamata
Banerjee was still drawing
a hail of criticism, the Trinamool
Congress today said
social networking sites had
not been put under the party
scanner.
“ Trinamool Congress is
not scrutinising any social
media. Neither does it have
any cell nor will ever have
one to monitor Facebook
or other sites, “party MP
Derek O’Brien told media.
O’brien, considered to be a
close confi dant of Ms Banerjee,
was instrumental in
launching the party’s website
and making it a tool for
interaction with the people
before the last Assembly
elections.
His statement came two
days after the West Bengal
police said they would scrutiny
social networking sites
to detect ‘anti-Mamata Banerjee
contents’.
Mr O’brien’s denial of
policing social networking
sites came in the face of
scathing criticisms, particularly
on the internet, following
the arrest of Ambikesh
Mahapatra, a chemistry
teacher of Jadavpur University
on Friday last for
uploading and forwarding
a cartoon of Ms Banerjee,
Railway Minister Mukul
Roy and his predecessor
Dinesh Trivedi lampooning
the recent reshuffl e in the
Railway Ministry after the
budget.
The cartoon showed Ms
Banerjee and Mr Roy exchanging
dialogues from
Satyajit Ray’s masterpiece
thriller ‘Sonar Kella’. Police
slapped charges on Mr
Mahapatra under sections of
the Interent Act and Indian
Penal Code for ‘eveteasing’,
defamation and humiliation
of a woman. Before his arrest,
Mr Mahapatra was also
allegedly beaten up by some
miscreants, allegedly led by
local Trinamool Congress
actitivists.
The incident not only
evoked ire of the teaching
fraternity, but also prompted
intellectuals, some of
whom had even backed
Ms Banerjee before the Assembly
polls, to air protests
alleging that the state Government
was muzzling the
voice of dissent.
Mahapatra was later released
on bail after he was
produced in a court. Four of
the assailants who had allegedly
beaten him up were
also arrested and then released
on bail.