Pro-Bengali group activist arrested for ‘rigged EVM’ posts: Kolkata Police

Kolkata police arrested Garga Chatterjee on May 12, 2026, following allegations that he used social media to spread misinformation regarding the integrity of electronic voting machines (EVMs) during recent elections.

Chatterjee serves as the leader of Bangla Paksha, a pro-Bengali activists’ group. According to police officials, the arrest was triggered by posts uploaded during the recent two-phase assembly polls in which Chatterjee alleged that EVMs had been rigged.

Legal Basis and Police Action

Kolkata Police Commissioner Ajay Nand stated that the arrest was conducted under several sections of the Information Technology Act. The legal action followed a complaint filed by the election observer for the Kolkata north division.

Chatterjee was arrested under several sections of the Information Technology Act. He alleged that EVMs had been tampered with and asked various political groups to launch an agitation. The complaint against him was lodged by the election observer of the Kolkata north division Ajay Nand

Commissioner Nand further clarified that the arrest occurred after Chatterjee failed to comply with previous legal requests from the authorities.

Chatterjee was arrested because he did not respond to two notices sent earlier by police Ajay Nand

Following the arrest, the Diamond Harbour police deployed a police officer to provide security for Chatterjee.

Professional and Academic Background

Garga Chatterjee is an alumnus of Harvard University. Professionally, he serves as an assistant professor at the Psychology Research Unit of the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) in Kolkata.

Authorities at the Indian Statistical Institute did not provide an official comment regarding the arrest of their faculty member.

However, a senior colleague of Chatterjee, speaking on the condition of anonymity, indicated that Chatterjee was deeply involved in the movement associated with Bangla Paksha.

Bangla Paksha and Political Context

Bangla Paksha is widely characterized as a group supporting the Trinamool Congress (TMC). Despite this perceived alignment, the group has previously faced legal scrutiny from state authorities.

The state police had previously registered a case against Bangla Paksha during the tenure of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Concerns regarding the group’s activities have also been raised by associates of Chatterjee. The same anonymous senior colleague expressed alarm over the conduct of the group’s members in public spaces.

Many of us were shocked to see Bangla Paksha activists assaulting people from Bihar and other states in public Senior colleague of Garga Chatterjee