Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra has alleged that she was subjected to harassment at a circuit house in Nadia on the eve of Independence Day, after the district administration asked her to vacate her room late at night amid a BJP protest outside the premises.
Moitra said she was asked to leave the Krishnanagar Circuit House around 9.47 pm on Friday, despite having checked in earlier and being served tea and dinner. According to her, BJP workers had gathered outside the building and were raising slogans against her.
The Krishnanagar MP subsequently wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, seeking his intervention in the matter. She also indicated that she could approach the courts over the incident.
‘Orders from above’, Moitra claims
According to Moitra's account, she arrived at the circuit house at around 6.15 pm and was allotted the room she had stayed in previously as an MP.
She said the Nadia Additional District Magistrate called her at 9.47 pm and asked her to vacate the room.
“When I asked for the reason, I was told that there were ‘orders from above’,” Moitra said in her letter to the Speaker.
She claimed that the district administration subsequently sent her a copy of an order on WhatsApp at 10.52 pm, citing an annual cleaning exercise as the reason for cancelling her booking.
“If there really was such an order, why did the administration wait until 10 pm to inform me? Why was the copy of the order sent only at 10.52 pm?” she asked.
Moitra refused to vacate the room.
BJP supporters gather outside
Moitra alleged that around 11 pm she heard shouting outside and realised that a large group had gathered near the circuit house.
“On one hand, the administration was asking me to leave the room, while on the other, a gathering was waiting outside for me,” she said.
She further pointed out that the residences of the district magistrate and superintendent of police are located opposite the circuit house, questioning how such a gathering could take place there without the administration being aware of it.
A video shared by Moitra purportedly shows BJP workers protesting outside the circuit house. In the video, BJP youth leader Raju Rakshit is heard saying that they had gathered after learning that Moitra was staying there and were protesting over her alleged remarks concerning Sanatan Dharma.
The authenticity of the video could not be independently verified.
‘This raises questions about women’s safety’
In her letter to the Speaker, Moitra raised concerns over the security of women MPs and referred to the security protocol applicable to Members of Parliament.
She argued that MPs visiting their constituencies routinely stay at circuit houses and questioned the manner in which she was allegedly asked to leave late at night.
“This raises serious questions about the safety of women,” Moitra said, urging the Speaker to examine the matter and take appropriate action.
The incident also comes against the backdrop of a separate legal dispute over her security. Moitra had approached the Supreme Court seeking protection, but her plea was rejected, with the court making oral observations about her concerns over alleged incidents such as egg-throwing.
Referring to the Supreme Court proceedings in a social media video, Moitra said, “I had gone to the Supreme Court seeking security. The court told me to face the situation like the freedom fighters did. I am doing exactly that.”She also referred to an earlier Calcutta High Court direction concerning her security, alleging that the same administration was now harassing her at night.
‘I will bring a privilege motion’
Moitra said she has already informed the Lok Sabha Speaker and plans to raise the issue in Parliament.
“I have informed the Speaker. On Monday, I will bring a privilege motion in the Lok Sabha,” she said. “I am also considering approaching the Calcutta High Court. I will take a decision on that on Monday.”
Abhishek Banerjee backs Moitra
TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee came out in support of Moitra, questioning the circumstances under which a woman MP was allegedly asked to leave a circuit house late at night.
“Late at night, a woman MP is being asked to leave a circuit house. And tomorrow morning, BJP leaders will stand before the country and talk about women’s development,” Banerjee wrote on social media.
He added, “This is not authority. This is insecurity.”
Banerjee further alleged that when a government becomes so insecure that basic dignity turns into a political issue, “it is the government itself that damages its own image.”
