Bengali Actress Faces Harassment Attempting to Join Protest March in Kolkata.

The artistes of the film industry have strongly criticized the videos of the “Go back” slogans and the subsequent attack on the car of actress Ms Sengupta by a protest crowd. They had previously supported the protests over the recent rape-murder of a young doctor at a city hospital. Ms Sengupta faced hostility from a group of protesters at a protest venue in north Kolkata’s Shyambazar.

When she tried to address the crowd, she was met with angry protesters shouting “Go back.” As the situation intensified, the police and Ms Sengupta’s bodyguards escorted her to her vehicle, which then left the area. In interviews with local newspapers and television channels, the actor expressed her distress, stating that she was not affiliated with any political party and had joined the protests as a concerned citizen.

Much of the anger directed at the actor stemmed from a video she posted on August 15, in which she was seen miming blowing a conch and delivering a protest message. Viewers noticed that the visuals indicated she was not actually blowing the conch and that the sound was superimposed. Some also highlighted that the conch she used was not suitable for blowing.

Social media collectively concluded that the actor was feigning grief to align with popular sentiment, and, faced with criticism and disparaging memes, she removed the post. Ms Sengupta had been questioned by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with an investigation into a multi-crore ration distribution scam, leading to suspicion that the money was being channeled into her films and creating a perception that she is close to the state’s ruling Trinamool Congress.