Daijiworld Media Network – Kolkata
Kolkata, Sep 2: A group of protesters painted the white gate pillars of the office of 104-year-old Bengali newspaper Anandabazar Patrika saffron on Tuesday, days after West Bengal BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari called for an apology over a headline published by the daily.
The protesters, some wearing saffron headscarves, gathered outside the newspaper's office and raised slogans against the media organisation. A section of the group painted the building's white gate pillars saffron while police personnel stood guard near the closed iron gate.
The police did not intervene as the protesters carried out the act.
The protest came in response to a headline published on the front page of the newspaper's August 21 edition, which linked saffron with hooliganism. The headline appeared in a report on a protest by Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad activists following a confrontation with Students Federation of India members at Jadavpur University, during which the university gate's emblem was damaged.
Days after the report was published, Adhikari, without directly naming the newspaper, said the media organisation should apologise for allegedly insulting the saffron colour. He had also warned that monks wearing saffron would protest if an apology was not issued.
Meanwhile, Adhikari on Tuesday announced that the monthly social security pension for retired journalists would be increased from Rs 2,500 to Rs 5,000 with immediate effect. He also launched the distribution of health cards under the Mukhyamantri Swasthya Bima Yojana.
Speaking at the event, Adhikari said freedom of speech was guaranteed by the Constitution but stressed the need to uphold the principle of putting the nation first. He urged media professionals to avoid using language that could undermine the country or hurt religious sentiments.
After the protesters left the premises, the newspaper's gate pillars were repainted white.
The editor of Anandabazar Patrika later shared a line from Rabindranath Tagore's poem on Facebook, reading, “Uccha Jetha Shir...” — referring to the poem's famous invocation of a land where people can hold their heads high.