‘EVMs were swapped’: Bangla Pokkho founder Garga Chatterjee arrested in Bengal vote-count row
Bangla Pokkho founder and general secretary Garga Chatterjee was arrested by Kolkata Police on Tuesday over allegations of spreading misleading information related to the recent Bengal Assembly election counting process.
The arrest comes days after the declaration of election results on May 4, when Chatterjee publicly alleged that Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) had been swapped during counting.
According to police sources, the arrest was made based on an FIR lodged by Smita Pandey, the District Election Officer (DEO) of North Kolkata.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) had earlier accused Chatterjee of circulating false and misleading information on social media regarding the counting process.
Acting on the complaint, police detained him from the Deshapriya Park area on Tuesday morning.
The controversy erupted after Garga raised questions over the integrity of the counting process and alleged irregularities involving EVMs.
Election authorities, however, dismissed the claims and termed them baseless. Soon after, legal action was initiated against him for allegedly spreading misinformation that could create public confusion regarding the electoral process.
Police are also reportedly examining how Chatterjee had been receiving security cover. Sources said he had access to either a government-provided Personal Security Officer (PSO) or private security personnel.
Officials are now looking into the process through which such protection had been arranged.
Chatterjee is widely known in Bengal politics and socio-cultural circles as the founder of Bangla Pokkho, an organisation he launched on January 7, 2018.
The outfit positions itself as a platform advocating for the protection of the Bengali language, culture, and local rights.
It has consistently demanded 100 percent reservation for residents of Bengal in state government jobs and 90 percent reservation for locals in other sectors operating in the state.
Academically, Chatterjee completed his MBBS from Kolkata Medical College before pursuing a PhD from Harvard University.
Over the years, he has often been perceived as politically close to the Trinamool Congress, especially during previous Assembly elections when he was seen indirectly supporting the then ruling party through his public statements.
This is not the first time Chatterjee has faced legal trouble. In 2022, he was arrested in connection with alleged derogatory remarks made against the Ahom community in Assam in 2020. He was later granted conditional bail in that case.