Map Row: Bengal Board Chairman Lodges Complaint Against BJP Leader for ‘Lying’

Kolkata: Days after Bengal BJP leader Raju Banerjee alleged that some state schools had distributed a distorted map of India among Class 10 students appearing in pre-board examination, chairman of the State Board of Secondary Education Kalyanmoy Ganguly lodged a police complaint against the BJP leader for making a “false statement”.

In his complaint on Thursday, Ganguly alleged that the map which left out Jammu and Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh was never supplied to the students by the Board and that the BJP leader Raju Banerjee “forged” it to mislead the people.

Deputy Commissioner of Police, Headquarters (Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate), Rajkumar, said, “Yes, we have received a complaint against the BJP leader by the Chairman of the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education Kalyanmoy Ganguly. We are investigating the matter.”

The case (number 132/17) was lodged at Bidhannagar East Police Station under section 182/186/467 (i)/468/504/505 (i) (ii), 471/109/120B IPC.

Recently, Raju Banerjee, while addressing a press conference, claimed that maps of India provided to the students left out J&K and Arunachal Pradesh.

"It is unfortunate that the Indian map distributed to students in some state-run schools for the Geography test showed Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), Aksai Chin and Arunachal Pradesh out of India. I am sure that the Trinamool Congress Teachers' Association is responsible for the blunder. We have sent a letter to the HRD Ministry for their immediate intervention,” he had said.

Reacting to the media report, State Education Minister Partha Chatterjee rubbished the allegation. He had said, “The Board never supplied such maps to students and it is a conspiracy by the BJP to malign the image of the Bengal government.”