Joydeep Sarkar 
Kolkata: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has suspended a prominent face in Bengal, Tanmoy Bhattacharya, following serious allegations of sexual harassment by a woman journalist. The incident, which gained attention on October 27, has sparked widespread outrage, embarrassing the party.
The journalist detailed her harassment in a public Facebook Live video, alleging that Bhattacharya had crossed boundaries during an interview. She claimed that he had engaged in inappropriate physical contact, specifically sitting on her lap. The video quickly went viral, triggering a storm of criticism and condemnation.
In response to the allegations, the CPI(M) took swift action, suspending Bhattacharya pending an internal investigation. The party’s state secretary, Mohammad Salim, issued a statement expressing deep concern over the matter and assuring that justice would be served.
“A journalist is upset with Tanmoy’s behaviour. Women understand very well what kind of touch is good and what is inappropriate. When such a complaint comes, the party takes it very seriously. Tanmoy has committed a grave act. We have referred this to ICC. Tanmoy will remain suspended until the ICC inquiry is completed,” announced Salim.
A few hours after CPI(M) suspended Bhattacharya, the journalist lodged a police compliant against him. Trinamool Congress (TMC) spokesperson Kunal Ghosh has demanded the arrest of the accused.
“The victim journalist has given her statement. Why hasn’t he been arrested yet? We don’t want to play politics. Otherwise, we could have gone straight to the police station at Barrackpore police station. Why hasn’t the police arrested the CPM comrade yet?” posted Ghosh on his social media accounts.
A former MLA, Bhattacharya has a history of controversy within the party, including factional politics and strained relations with the current leadership. Recently, he lost the Baranagar assembly by-election. He could not be reached for comment as his phone was switched off.
Earlier, he denied the allegations, calling them a “planned defamation.” Bhattacharya has expressed willingness to cooperate with an investigation. The incident has been embarrassing for the party which has been mobilising support for the movement in the aftermath of the R.G. Kar rape and murder incident.
CPI(M) central committee member Sujan Chakraborty said, “We’ve heard the complaint; it is a serious, inexcusable allegation. We will take prompt action. There is no question about upholding the respect of women. But note, in the past, individuals we expelled for similar reasons went on to become leaders in Trinamool.”
Recently, a district secretary of CPI(M) was removed from his position after an intimate video of his went viral. A few years ago, former Rajya Sabha MP, Ritabrata Bhattacharya, was expelled following allegations of inappropriate relationships with multiple women. Bhattacharya later joined TMC and is now the state secretary of Trinamool Congress’s labour organisation.
Translated from the Bengali original by Aparna Bhattacharya.