The BJP on Jattvibeday lodged police complaints against Bengali actor Sreelekha Mitra seeking her arrest on grounds that she publicly displayed an obscene and offensive image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a students’ protest rally in Kolkata two days ago.While a complaint against Mitra was lodged at the Anandapur Police Station by BJP leader and party spokesperson Keya Ghosh, reports of complaints having been filed against her at the Bidhannagar Cyber Crime Police Station and several other police stations across several districts were also received.On July 24, a large number of people protested on the streets of Kolkata against the alleged NEET examination paper leak, demanding the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan, a day before the Union education minister actually stepped down in the wake of students’ unrest in Delhi and other parts of the country.Mitra had joined the demonstration in the Esplanade area of central Kolkata and posed for a photograph while holding a poster. According to the complaint, the poster displayed an offensive image of the Prime Minister.”During this rally, Ms Sreelekha Mitra actively participated and publicly displayed a poster featuring a highly derogatory, objectionable and disrespectful cartoon/caricature depicting the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi,” Ghosh’s complaint said.”The poster was deliberately displayed in a prominent public space to mock, demean and insult the constitutional head of the Government of India in full view of the public and media personnel,” it added.The complaint cited provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023, including sections 352 (provoking a breach of peace), 353 (publicly supporting provocative conduct), and 356 (defamation), urging swift and appropriate legal action as mandated under law.”Expressing disagreement through political protest does not extend to public defamation, intentional insult intended to breach public peace, or outrageous depictions meant to incite public disharmony,” the complaint stated.Responding to the allegations, Mitra said she had joined the protest in solidarity with students and young people but claimed she was not wearing her prescription glasses and, hence, could not clearly see the poster she displayed.”The police were carrying out a baton charge at the time, so my photograph was hurriedly taken. I never even turned the poster around to check what kind of image of the PM it displayed,” she said.”I may be opposed to the BJP, but calling me an anti-national is completely ridiculous. It is equally absurd if anyone thinks that I deliberately chose to hold that poster and pose for the photograph,” she added.Ghosh, meanwhile, stated that she was outraged by the image of the Prime Minister not merely as a party leader, but as a citizen of the country and appealed for strong legal action against the actress.”Appropriate legal action should be taken against Sreelekha for sharing such an obscene image. Such conduct deserves strict punishment. She should be arrested immediately. Otherwise, we will approach the court,” Ghosh said.