KOLKATA: The West Bengal BJP Saturday stood by Congress leader Samanay Bandopadhyay, who was arrested by the police for allegedly circulating posts critical of West Bengal government and accusing the ruling TMC of letting loose a reign of terror in the state.
A delegation of the Bengal BJP Saturday met Bandopadhyay's family members and assured them of help if needed.
Bandopadhyay, the spokesperson of West Bengal Congress unit, was arrested on Thursday evening by the Purulia district police from his home in North 24 Parganas district.
He was accused of circulating posts on social media critical of the state government and was produced before the court which sent him to two days' police custody on Friday.
"It is really unfortunate that a person has been arrested just for circulating posts criticising the state government. Such a thing used to happen during Emergency. It seems Bengal is going through undeclared emergency," BJP state general secretary Jaiprakash Majumdar said.
Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury had on Friday criticised the state government for the arrest.
Reacting to the criticisms, senior TMC leader and party chief whip in state Assembly Nirmal Ghosh said, "Samanay has been arrested as there are several criminal charges against him. It has nothing to do with criticism of the state government."
The incident is reminiscent of the arrest of Jadavpur University professor Ambikesh Mahapatra in April 2012 for posting cartoons of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in the internet.