West Bengal Police have arrested two men for allegedly pasting a Pakistani flag on the wall of a public toilet near Akaipur railway station in North 24 Parganas district. Authorities believe the act was intended to spark communal tensions.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Chandan Malakar (30) and Progyajit Mondal (45). Both are reportedly members of a political party and linked to a Hindutva organisation called Sanatani Ekta Manch, police sources said.
Superintendent of Police (Bangaon District) Dinesh Kumar told the media, “We found a Pakistani national flag pasted on the wall of a washroom near the station. Our investigation revealed that two local residents were behind this. They intended to write ‘Hindustan Murdabad’ and ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ to create communal disturbance.”
The SP added, “The accused were traced using intelligence inputs. A case has been registered under relevant legal sections, and the accused have been produced in court.”
Police sources confirmed the involvement of Sanatani Ekta Manch, stating that both individuals were active members of the outfit.
However, the accused offered a different version in court, claiming their actions were a form of protest against the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which claimed 26 lives.
“We didn’t want to spread hate. We were protesting against the killings in Pahalgam,” one of the accused reportedly told the court.
SP Kumar, however, maintained that the motive appeared to be aimed at inciting unrest. “The accused will be taken into police custody for further questioning. We are probing if others were involved.”
