Adhikari says he has freed Bengal police from political restraints

West Bengal's chief minister links his policing pledge to support for idol makers and preparations for Chhath Puja.

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Suvendu Adhikari का बड़ा दावा: ‘बंगाल में पुलिस के हाथ बंधे थे, हमने खोल दिए’ | Bengal Politics

Suvendu Adhikari says West Bengal's police had their hands tied and that he has removed those restraints, presenting law enforcement as a central part of his administration's agenda.

In a press interaction carried by India's Hindi-language news channel Republic Bharat, the chief minister points to women's safety, drug trafficking and cattle smuggling as issues being tackled. His assertion that police were previously prevented from acting is a political claim made during the exchange, not a finding established by the clip.

Adhikari became West Bengal's first Bharatiya Janata Party chief minister in 2026. The state, in eastern India, has Kolkata as its capital.

The conversation also turns to local idol makers. Adhikari accuses the Trinamool Congress leadership of causing them difficulties and financial losses, and says he has provided financial support to 80 artisans. He explicitly distinguishes that assistance from compensation, describing it instead as solidarity. He also says he has instructed senior police officers that harassment of poor people will bring action.

Asked about Chhath Puja, he outlines visits to Metiabruz, Delhi, Howrah and Chandannagar and describes extensive festival preparations. Chhath is celebrated particularly in eastern India and southern Nepal, as well as by communities elsewhere.

A reporter's closing question about arrests and large cash recoveries at an airport brings Adhikari back to his opening argument: police, he says, are no longer restrained.