Daijiworld Media Network - Kolkata
Kolkata, Feb 6: The arrest of Kolkata-based social media influencer Shamik Adhikary over allegations of unlawful confinement and assault of a young woman has triggered a political showdown between the BJP and the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal.
Adhikary, popularly known by his online handle “YourNonsane”, was arrested following a complaint by a 22-year-old woman who alleged that she was forcibly detained at his residence for nearly 20 hours and physically assaulted on February 2.
“Accused Shamik Adhikary has been arrested in connection with a case registered at a police station,” a police officer said on Thursday night.
The arrest quickly took a political turn, with BJP IT Cell chief Amit Malviya alleging that the action was politically motivated and aimed at silencing a critical voice of the Mamata Banerjee-led government.
“This is the video of ‘YourNonsanee’ that rattled the Trinamool Congress so deeply that it unleashed the entire police machinery against him,” Malviya claimed in a post on X, accusing the TMC of running an “authoritarian and dictatorial regime” in the state.
Malviya further alleged that dissent in Bengal was being met with police action, FIRs and harassment, urging people to widely share Adhikary’s content to resist what he described as attempts to silence criticism.
The TMC, however, strongly rejected the BJP’s allegations, accusing the Opposition of defending an accused and trivialising allegations of violence against a woman. Party spokesperson Kunal Ghosh criticised Malviya for questioning the timing of the complaint and termed it victim-shaming.
“The incident happened on the night of February 2 when the girl was locked for around 12 hours. She filed a complaint and an FIR was registered on February 4,” Ghosh said in a social media post.
According to the complainant, she was invited to Adhikary’s residence, where she was allegedly confined against her will and assaulted. After being released, she approached the authorities, following which an FIR was registered and Adhikary was arrested from his South Kolkata residence.
Adhikary, active on social media since 2016, is known for his satirical and observational commentary on social and political issues in West Bengal. He has built a sizable following on platforms such as Instagram and YouTube, often projecting himself as a youth-centric voice in the state.