Two men arrested in India for planting Pakistani flag to incite communal tensions

Arrested men, identified as Chandan Malakar and Progyajit Mondal are reportedly members of Sanatani Ekta Mancha.

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Two members of a Hindu religious group have been arrested in India's West Bengal state for allegedly attempting to incite communal tensions by pasting a Pakistani flag on the wall of a railway toilet in a border district, police said on Thursday.

The incident took place near a railway station on the Sealdah-Bongaon section in North 24 Parganas, close to the India-Bangladesh border.

According to officials, the accused also planned to paint slogans including “Hindustan Murdabad” and “Pakistan Zindabad” on the wall to provoke unrest.

The two men, identified as Chandan Malakar (30) and Progyajit Mondal (45), are reportedly local residents and members of Sanatani Ekta Mancha, a fringe religious outfit.

“They have confessed to the act during questioning,” said Bongaon SP Dinesh Kumar in a post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter).

Police said the arrests were made under charges related to promoting enmity between groups and criminal conspiracy.

The incident has triggered a political row in the region.

Ashok Kirtania, a BJP MLA from Bongaon North and a senior figure in Sanatani Ekta Mancha, accused the police of fabricating the case. “They are arresting people under false charges. This is political vendetta,” he told reporters.

The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) rejected the claim. “BJP is conspiring to disrupt communal harmony in the state. Police have done their duty,” said Biswajit Das, TMC’s Bongaon district president.

Authorities said they are maintaining heightened security in the area to prevent any escalation.

The Sealdah-Bongaon railway line is a critical corridor for commuters in the region and runs close to the international border. While no violence has been reported in connection with the case so far, local police said they are keeping “a close watch on the situation”.