Kolkata: Swapan Kumar Ghosh, a resident of Durgapur in West Burdwan who came all the way to Digha on his bicycle to convey a message of communal harmony and also to witness the grand inauguration of Jagannath Temple in Digha was allegedly heckled by the BJP activists in East Midnapore’s Egra.
Ghosh alleged that when he reached Egra, a group of BJP workers stopped his way. He was asked to remove a flag he was carrying on his bicycle. “As I took Egra Road from Belda Road, I stopped at a roadside Dhaba to have some food. Some people stepped up to me and asked why I set a flag on my bicycle and they asked me to dislodge it.
They dragged me and asked me to leave the place immediately. They also told me that as I was entering Suvendu Adhikari’s area, I might face more difficulties,” Ghosh said.
He also stated: “I also told them that I was going to Digha with a message of communal harmony and not to trigger any chaos. I also told them that I was leaving the place after taking my food.
As I was going to Jagannath temple, I said ‘Jai Jagannath’ but they asked me to shout ‘Jai Shree Ram’. They also asked if I was a Muslim or Hindu. They said how they would understand whether I have any ill intention. I told them that I am a Hindu and I can produce all the documents to support my claim.”
The Jagannath Temple in Digha is scheduled to be inaugurated on Wednesday on the auspicious occasion of the ‘Akshay Trithiya’ by the Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The entire state is set to witness the momentous occasion.