TMC MP Mahua Moitra summoned by Diamond Harbour police in West Bengal over alleged communal remarks

Moitra had posted on X alleging that Muslim officers in the state administration were deliberately kept out of a programme attended by Amit Shah in Bengal.

TMC MP Mahua Moitra has been summoned by Diamond Harbour cybercrime police in connection with a case alleging that one of her social media posts had the potential to promote communal discord, police sources said on Thursday.

The Krishnanagar MP has been asked to appear before the cybercrime department at 11 am on Saturday for questioning, they said.

"The case was registered following a complaint by a resident of Diamond Harbour, who alleged that a post made by Moitra on her X handle had the potential to promote communal discord. She has been summoned by the Diamond Harbour district police's cybercrime department on Saturday," a senior official said.

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Police have registered a case under provisions that include non-bailable sections, according to sources.

The development comes amid heightened political tensions in West Bengal, with the TMC facing an unprecedented organisational rupture following its Assembly election defeat.

On September 1, Moitra had posted on X alleging that Muslim officers in the state administration were deliberately kept out of a programme attended by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in north Bengal.

Naming the officers, she alleged that certain Muslim IAS and IPS officers were either not invited to the event or prevented from attending it, and questioned whether they had been excluded because of their religion.

The post subsequently drew a complaint from a Diamond Harbour resident, who alleged that Moitra's remarks amounted to communal provocation.

Moitra's summons also comes against the backdrop of a widening political realignment in the state, with the TMC's organisational and legislative wings caught in an intense power struggle.

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The party's 80-member legislative group had emerged as a key battleground, with 65 MLAs backing Ritabrata's claim to the Leader of the Opposition's post and rejecting the nominee supported by the Mamata Banerjee-led leadership.

The dissident legislators subsequently convened a special session, elected senior MLA Arup Roy as chairperson and announced a parallel national leadership structure, claiming that the existing leadership under Banerjee had lost the confidence of a majority of elected representatives.

The confrontation later spilt into Parliament, with 20 of the TMC's 27 Lok Sabha MPs aligning with the newly floated NCPI and joining the BJP-led NDA, further deepening the organisational divide.

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Moitra, however, remains aligned with the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC camp.

Known for her combative interventions against the BJP and the Union government, Moitra has frequently used social media to attack the Centre and raise issues concerning governance and alleged discrimination.

The latest case comes at a time when the opposition TMC and the ruling BJP are locked in a bitter political exchange over alleged discrimination on religious lines and the law-and-order situation in West Bengal.