Actor Paresh Rawal gets relief from Calcutta HC in 'anti-Bengali' remark case

Justice Rajasekhar Mantha quashed the FIR, observing that further continuation of the proceedings was not desirable

Kolkata, Feb 7: An FIR filed against actor-politician in Kolkata in connection with a comment on Bengalis has been quashed by Calcutta High Court and noted that he had already apologised for the remark.

The FIR filed was filed by the CPI(M)'s West Bengal unit secretary Mohd Salim who had accused Rawal of making derogatory comments against the Bengali community.

The court pointed out that the speech was made in Gujarati and some of the criticisms that have been made against the speech are by persons who may not necessarily understand the language.

Considering all aspects of the case, Justice Rajasekhar Mantha quashed the FIR, observing that further continuation of the proceedings was not desirable, PTI reported.

According to Paresh Rawal's lawyer, the FIR was registered with the intention to gain political mileage with ulterior motives.

"It is evident that it is a politically motivated FIR to damage the reputation of a celebrity and public figure like my client," he said. Rawal, a former BJP MP, stated in the petition that his speech delivered in Gujarati on November 29, during a campaign for the Gujarat assembly elections last year, was misinterpreted and mistranslated for political vendetta.

He maintained that he has given clarifications on his statement and apologised on December 2, the same date when Salim filed an FIR at Taltala police station in Kolkata.

The opposition tried to use Paresh Rawal's slip-of-a-tongue as an issue and to paint him as a villain even as a police complaint was filed against him for his remark against illegal Bangladeshis. It all started after a video of the veteran actor surfaced online in which there was a reference to illegal Bangladeshis and Rohingyas, but their attempt to gain political mileage out of it failed after his clarification.

"Gas cylinders are expensive, but their price will come down. People will get employment too. But what will happen if Rohingya migrants and Bangladeshis start living around you, like in Delhi? What will you do with gas cylinders? Cook fish for the Bengalis?" he said during a rally.

As soon as the clip started garnering traction on social media sites, the TMC and CPI started attacking him even though he was referring to illegal Bangladeshis and Rohingya. Likes of Mahua Moitra and Garga Chatterjee joined the bandwagon and hurled verbal attacks on the veteran actor.

"Actually Kemchho Slapstickman need not have apologised. The 2nd part of Cook Fish like Bengalis is "Have Brains like Bengalis". Most nobel laureates than any other Indian state, buddy boy....," Mahua Moitra said.

Paresh Rawal, who has worked in over 240 movies, is known for his versatility in acting. He is a National Award-winning actor who has been honoured by the government of India with Padma Shri, fourth-highest civilian award , in 2014. He is a member of the BJP and was elected to Parliament between 2014-2019 from Ahmedabad East.