Former MP and ex-Mohun Bagan president Tutu Bose, family issued SIR notices

Kolkata, Jan 13 (IANS) Former Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP and former Mohun Bagan football club president Swapan Sadhan Bose, popularly known as Tutu Bose, has been issued a notice to appear for a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) hearing.

His son Srinjoy Bose, general secretary of Mohun Bagan and a former TMC Rajya Sabha MP, has also received a similar notice. According to party sources, the entire Bose family has been summoned for the SIR hearing.

The development was shared by Mohun Bagan vice-president and Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghosh, who strongly criticised the Election Commission (EC), expressing his outrage on social media.

“Breaking: After summoning several prominent personalities from Bengal for SIR hearings, the Election Commission has now issued a notice to Tutu Bose (Swapan Sadhan Bose) -- a towering figure in Mohun Bagan and Bengali football, a former Member of Parliament, and a successful Bengali entrepreneur -- along with his family,” Ghosh wrote in a Facebook post.

He said the family has been asked to appear for the hearing on January 19. Ghosh further claimed that Bose is unwell and wheelchair-bound, questioning the rationale behind summoning him.

“Tutu Bose will now be made to prove that he is a citizen of Bengal. The Election Commission and the BJP will receive a fitting response for this oppression against Bengal, Bengalis, and the people of Bengal in the upcoming elections,” the TMC spokesperson alleged.

Several prominent personalities from West Bengal have recently been summoned in connection with the SIR process. Among them are Nobel laureate Amartya Sen, renowned poet Joy Goswami, and Indian cricketer Mohammed Shami. With the notice to Tutu Bose, another well-known figure from Bengal’s sporting fraternity has been added to the list.

Sources said Tutu Bose and his family have been asked to appear at Ballygunge Government School on January 19. Srinjoy Bose’s name also figures in the list of those summoned.

Meanwhile, on Monday, around 150 athletes from various sports disciplines staged a protest, alleging harassment of sportspersons under the guise of the SIR exercise. Earlier, Trinamool Congress Lok Sabha MP Abhishek Banerjee had criticised the Election Commission over the issue.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has also condemned the issuance of SIR notices to prominent personalities, calling it insensitive and an insult to the people of Bengal.