The CPM has decided to suspend fomer MLA Tanmoy Bhattacharya following allegations against him of harassing a woman journalist. This decision was announced by the party’s state secretary, Mohammad Salim, on Sunday evening. An official complaint has been filed at Baranagar police station regarding the matter. Mr Salim also stated that there will be an internal investigation into the allegations against Tanmoy, and he will remain suspended until the investigation is complete.
Any further action will depend on the recommendations of the investigation committee. After the allegations emerged, Tanmoy stated: “I usually joke around with everyone. This woman has interviewed me at least ten times before. I’ve joked with her before too. I don’t understand why this is happening now or why she filed a complaint at the police station.” On Sunday afternoon, during a Facebook live session, the journalist alleged that when she went to interview Tanmoy that morning, he sat on her lap. This claim quickly spread on social media, causing a stir within the CPM.
Following this, Mr Salim held a press conference, saying: “I learned in the afternoon that a female journalist was upset with Tanmoy’s behavior. Women are very aware of the difference between ordinary touch and inappropriate touch. The CPM takes such complaints seriously. Tanmoy’s actions were reprehensible, and the party does not support such behaviour. We do not view this lightly.” Mr Salim added, “We have an internal complaints committee with its own procedures, which takes time. Therefore, we will suspend Tanmoy before that. The duration of the suspension will depend on how long the internal investigation takes.
We will act according to the committee’s recommendations.” According to CPM sources, in cases like this, a higher committee is formed to conduct an investigation. Tanmoy is an invited member of the district committee and is under the jurisdiction of the state committee. Since the allegations were made publicly on social media rather than through party channels, Mr Salim announced the suspension on his own initiative. The internal investigation committee will soon be instructed to begin its work, with a deadline set for completion.
There are claims from party sources that multiple allegations have previously been raised against Tanmoy, and those may also be examined alongside the recent complaint. Sujan Chakraborty, who has a significant role in the North 24-Parganas district for the CPM, commented on the allegations against Tanmoy. He said: “I watched the Facebook live and found it disturbing. However, we are not like other parties. It’s important to remember that we have expelled individuals for character issues in the past, only for them to be embraced by the Trinamul Congress.” When asked about potential actions against Tanmoy, Mr Chakraborty responded: “We have certain procedures within our party, and we will follow those in determining our course of action.”