FIR lodged against Mithun Chakraborty for 'provocative' speech

Bidhannagar Police on Wednesday lodged an FIR against actor-turned-BJP leader Mithun Chakraborty for allegedly delivering a provocative speech during a party programme in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal last month.

According to police sources, the complaint against Chakraborty pertains to a speech he made during a BJP programme at the EZCC (Eatsern Zonal Cultural Centre) in Kolkata's Salt Lake (Bidhannagar) area on 27 October, based on which police registered an FIR at Bidhannagar South police station.

Union home minister Amit Shah was also present at the programme, which was organised to kick off the West Bengal leg of the BJP's membership drive. "We have started an investigation into the case," a senior officer of Bidhannagar police said.

Though Chakraborty was unavailable for comment, West Bengal BJP president and Union minister Sukanta Majumdar described the FIR a result of "vendetta politics".

"There is nothing provocative in his speech. These are nothing but attempts to intimidate him by using the police as a political tool," he said.

Chakraborty, who received India's highest film honour, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, earlier this year, had asserted on 27 October that the 'masnad (throne)' of West Bengal would belong to the BJP after the 2026 Assembly elections, promising to do whatever it took to achieve the goal.

While speaking at the programme at EZCC, Chakraborty said, "In 2026, the masnad will be ours, and we will do everything to achieve the goal."

In an apparent reference to TMC (Trinamool Congress) MLA Humayun Kabir's communal remarks aimed at BJP workers during the Lok Sabha elections, Chakraborty cautioned that no one should attempt to intimidate saffron party voters into abstaining from voting in the next Assembly elections, and called upon booth-level workers of his party to resist any such attempts.