West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Friday gave senior CPI(M) leader Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya 24 hours to delete or amend a social media post blaming “Hindutvawadi miscreants” for an alleged attack on his residence in Kolkata. Adhikari warned that legal action would follow if the post was not removed or revised, arguing that Bhattacharya had attributed the incident to Hindutva supporters before the investigation established who was responsible. The demand has intensified a political dispute surrounding the alleged vandalism and the claims made by the former Kolkata mayor.

Speaking to reporters, Adhikari said the post had insulted the Hindu community by accusing Hindutva supporters without confirmation of the attackers’ identities. He said police had taken action to maintain law and order and had arrested an accused person based on a specific complaint. Adhikari also warned against attempts to disturb public order and insisted that the incident would be investigated. He questioned how Bhattacharya could publicly blame Hindutva activists before the facts had been established.

Bhattacharya had alleged on Thursday that unidentified people attacked his residence in the Kalikapur area near EM Bypass at around 5 am. In his Facebook post, the CPI(M) leader said youths with their faces covered arrived on motorcycles, threw liquor bottles at the windows, smashed windowpanes and damaged a CCTV camera before fleeing. He also claimed that his domestic help narrowly escaped injury during the incident. Bhattacharya subsequently lodged a police complaint over the alleged attack.

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The allegations prompted a dispute over who was responsible for the incident, with Bhattacharya describing the attackers as “Hindutvawadi miscreants” while Adhikari argued that such claims should not be made before the investigation is completed. The chief minister said the police had acted on the complaint and that the case would be examined. His 24-hour deadline places pressure on Bhattacharya to change or remove the social media statement, although the available account does not establish whether the post was subsequently amended or deleted.

The controversy has also taken a legal turn. According to the report, two first information reports have been registered against Bhattacharya at the Topsia and Garfa police stations over his social media remarks. The development adds a separate dimension to the case, which involves both the alleged attack on his home and the public attribution of responsibility for it. The registration of the FIRs does not, by itself, establish that the allegations against Bhattacharya have been proven.

The investigation into the alleged vandalism remains central to determining who was involved and what motivated the incident. Adhikari has maintained that the police will examine the matter while warning against statements that could affect law and order. Bhattacharya’s original complaint, meanwhile, describes damage to property at his residence and a potential risk to his domestic help. The immediate political standoff centres on whether he will comply with Adhikari’s demand within the specified 24 hours, while the available information does not provide a final finding on the identity of the attackers.

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