Kolkata, August 11, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
West Bengal Leader of the Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee on Tuesday approached the state police headquarters at Bhabani Bhawan after allegedly receiving repeated death threats through WhatsApp calls from Bangladesh, police sources said.
Banerjee, who leads the rebel majority faction of the Trinamool Congress, has sought to know who is behind the threats. According to sources, he received multiple threatening calls between May 3 and August 9, with the calls originating from Bangladesh.
The caller allegedly threatened to kill Banerjee and warned that he could meet the same fate as Bangladeshi free-thinking blogger Abhijit Roy, who was hacked to death in Dhaka in 2015.
Banerjee initially did not attach much importance to the calls. However, the repeated threats prompted him to approach Bhabani Bhawan on Tuesday and lodge a formal complaint, sources said.
The development comes amid heightened security concerns in West Bengal following the recent arrest of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) member Hamim Mondal and two alleged associates. Investigators had reportedly found that the group was targeting Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and had monitored his programmes, travel routes and residence in Kolkata to identify possible security vulnerabilities.
Police are now investigating whether the threats against Banerjee are connected to any militant or extremist organisation. No such link has been established so far.
Roy, a Bangladeshi blogger and writer known for his secular and free-thinking views, was attacked on February 26, 2015, while returning from the Amar Ekushey Book Fair near Dhaka University. He was killed in the attack, while his wife, Rafida Ahmed Bonya, was seriously injured. Members of the banned militant outfit Ansar Al Islam were subsequently held responsible for the murder.
Exiled Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasrin recently referred to Roy’s case during an appearance in Kolkata.
Police have begun an investigation to identify the persons or organisation allegedly behind the WhatsApp threats received by Banerjee.
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