Kolkata, February 20: Republic Bangla journalist Santu Pan was arrested by the West Bengal police on Monday, February 19, for allegedly entering a house where a lady was not properly dressed, the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) has said. Santu Pan was taken into custody from Sandeshkhali when he was reporting live on TV. The cops produced him in a court on Tuesday, February 20, which sent him to police custody for three days.
Santu Pan was reporting live on Republic Bangla channel when the police personnel arrested him. He was booked under IPC sections pertaining to trespassing and outraging the modesty of a woman. According to a report, police said Pan had barged into a house in Sandeshkhali while reporting. A woman from the house then lodged a complaint at Sandeshkhali police station based on which Pan was arrested.
BJP vs TMC Over Santu Pan's Arrest:
Reacting to Pan's arrest, BJP's IT cell chief Amit Malviya posted on X (formerly Twitter), "In an assault on media, West Bengal police has arrested Republic Bangla journalist Santu Pan, who has been covering the rape and torture in Sandeshkhali. Unable to arrest Shahjahan Sheikh and quell women’s protest, Mamata Banerjee is now targeting the media."
In response, TMC spokesperson Debangshu Bhattacharya Dev explained what led to the arrest of Pan. He wrote: "Someone entered a house where a lady was not properly dressed and he starts live-streaming from inside the house despite the lady repeatedly objecting to it. Later after that woman, who hails from SandeshKhali, lodged a complaint, the journalists got arrested. Police did absolutely right job."
Hitting back at the BJP and Malviya, Dev further stated: "This IT-cell virus head Malviya is shouting because one of their pets is behind the bars. This guy was completely silent when reporters got arrested in their own-ruled states."
