West Bengal School Owner Gets 4 Days Police Custody for Harassing Singer

A district court in West Bengal has ordered four days of police custody for Mehboob Mallick, the school owner accused of harassing and attempting to murder singer Lagnajita Chakraborty during a performance. The order was issued by a judge at the Kanthi Sub-Divisional Court. Police have charged Mallick under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and promptly arrested him after receiving the complaint. The charges include outraging the modesty of a woman and attempt to murder. The police had requested seven days of custody, but the judge granted four days after hearing arguments from both sides. Authorities will interrogate Mallick to determine the motive behind the harassment of the singer. The school authorities and the accused’s family have not commented on the matter. Additionally, the district’s acting Superintendent of Police has initiated a departmental inquiry against Shahanshah Haque, the officer-in-charge of Bhagwanpur police station, in connection with the incident. The singer, Lagnajita, alleged that she was harassed during her performance at an event of South Point Public School. She claimed that after singing a song, a man from the audience tried to assault her but was stopped by others. Lagnajita further stated that Mallick behaved rudely and verbally abused her when she refused to continue performing. The Trinamool Congress has denied any affiliation between Mallick and the party, accusing the BJP of politicizing the incident with malicious intent to tarnish their image.