Kolkata, May 13 'Bangla Paksha' founder and activist Garga Chatterjee's bail application was rejected on Wednesday, and he was sent to police custody till May 16.
On Tuesday, Kolkata Police arrested him following a complaint lodged at the Maidan Cyber Police Station. Later, the Cyber Cell of Kolkata Police arrested him in connection with another complaint.
Regarding the arrest of the founder and general secretary of 'Bangla Paksha', Kolkata Police Commissioner Ajay Nand said that Chatterjee had been summoned twice but did not appear.
Kolkata Police claimed that Chatterjee's comments on EVMs during the recently concluded Assembly elections amounted to a violation of the Model Code of Conduct and cyber laws.
The City Sessions Court ordered his police custody till May 16 in the Maidan Police Station case. In addition, the judge said that the case in which the Cyber Cell arrested him would be considered later.
On Wednesday, he was produced before the Bankshall Court.
Before entering the court, Garga Chatterjee said: “Speaking the truth as a Bengali cannot be a crime.”
While leaving the court in the afternoon, he repeated the same statement: “Telling the truth cannot be a crime.”
Police alleged that he had made provocative comments during the Assembly elections and was also accused of spreading rumours regarding EVMs.
The Election Commission believed that such comments were not merely criticism but a deliberate attempt to undermine people’s trust in the democratic system.
The Commission claimed that he had tried to create confusion among the public regarding the credibility of EVMs during the elections.
According to police, a complaint was lodged with the cyber crime department of Kolkata Police by the Election Commission, following which action was initiated.
In the context of the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, Garga Chatterjee had questioned why EVMs were allegedly malfunctioning during the counting of votes despite being carefully sealed overnight.
He had also advised people to carefully check the VVPAT before casting their votes.
Apart from this, 'Bangla Paksha' had accused the Election Commission of not granting permission for a procession ahead of the elections.
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