Man held from Bihar for online abuse of Bengali actress after Messi mayhem in Kolkata

Kolkata: The police have arrested a man from Bihar for allegedly posting abusive and obscene comments on social media targeting Bengali actress Shubhashree Ganguly, following Argentine football star Lionel Messi's recent visit to Kolkata, an officer said on Monday.

The accused, identified as Bittu Srivastava, hailing from Titagarh near Kolkata but currently residing in Bihar, was arrested from Ara on Saturday based on a complaint filed by actor-turned-TMC MLA Raj Chakraborty, who is the husband of Ganguly.

The case relates to social media backlash over photographs of Ganguly with Messi during his Kolkata visit, which had earlier sparked controversy.

Chakraborty had lodged the complaint at Titagarh Police Station on December 14, alleging sustained online trolling and derogatory remarks against her.

The accused was brought to Kolkata on transit remand on Monday and produced before a Barrackpore court, which remanded him to two days of police custody.

Police said the accused is being questioned, and investigations are underway to ascertain whether others were involved or if there was any external instigation behind the posts.

Speaking to reporters, Chakraborty alleged that the accused had also made derogatory comments against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and TMC MP Partha Bhowmik.

"Such attacks on women cannot be tolerated. I will pursue this till the end," he said, adding that the incident appeared to be politically motivated.

Messi’s visit to Kolkata descended into chaos as angry fans broke security protocols after failing to catch even a glimpse of the popular footballer during his blink-and-miss 22-minute appearance at the Salt Lake Stadium here on December 13.