West Bengal LoP Ritabrata Reports Repeated Death Threats From Bangladesh Numbers

West Bengal Assembly Leader of Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee has approached the state police after allegedly receiving repeated death threats from Bangladesh-based phone numbers over nearly three months, adding a fresh security concern to the state’s politically charged atmosphere.

People close to the rebel Trinamool Congress leader said the threats were made through WhatsApp calls between May 3 and August 9. The callers allegedly warned Banerjee that he would meet the fate of Avijit Roy, the Bangladeshi-American blogger who was hacked to death in Dhaka in 2015.

Banerjee initially did not attach much importance to the calls, but approached the police after the threats continued. He visited the state police headquarters at Bhabani Bhaban on Tuesday and reported the matter to authorities.

The complaint comes amid heightened security concerns in West Bengal following the arrest of suspected Jaish-e-Mohammed operative Hamim Mondal and his alleged associates. The state Special Task Force has said the Pakistan-linked module conducted surveillance of Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and was exploring possible targets and locations.

Police, however, have not indicated any connection between the threats against Banerjee and the JeM investigation.

The reference to Avijit Roy has added seriousness to the complaint. Roy was killed near Dhaka University on February 26, 2015, while his wife Rafida Ahmed Bonya was injured. Investigators later linked the killing to members of Ansar al-Islam, a banned extremist organisation.

The threats come as Banerjee leads a rebellion within the Trinamool Congress following the party’s defeat in the Assembly elections. His faction has challenged Mamata Banerjee’s leadership and claimed control over a significant section of the party’s legislators.

Police will now investigate the origin of the calls, identify those responsible and determine whether the threats were intended as intimidation or point to a wider extremist network.