A march titled “Freedom Beyond Midnight” was held in Kolkata to convey a message of women’s freedom, safety, and equal dignity. India’s independence day fell on Saturday. Bangladeshi actress Jaya Ahsan joined this women’s event, held on the night of August 14, alongside female Tollywood artists.
Organized by West Bengal news outlet The Wall, roughly 5,000 women took part in the march. Attendees included stars such as Rituparna Sengupta, Chaiti Ghoshal, Indrani Haldar, Iman Chakraborty, Paoli Dam, Lovely Rai, Riddhi Bandyopadhyay, Moubani Sorcar, Mumtaz Sorcar, and Richa Sharma.
Many raised eyebrows at seeing Jaya take part in the march, with several criticizing her participation. Tollywood’s outspoken actress Sreelekha Mitra was among them. She posted about Jaya Ahsan on social media, sharing a post by Nabamita Basu. The shared post read: “Since when did Jaya Ahsan become Indian, please let me know. I’ve known since childhood that India became independent on August 15. And not long ago, India was shaken by the ‘Dipu Das killing.’ Recently, Mr. Dilip Ghosh even suggested that if Indian Muslims want to offer namaz, they should go to Pakistan. Jaya Ahsan is apparently a Sanatani, pure, original, and authentic Indian — an ancestor of Netaji himself. I want an answer as to why. From Jaya Ahsan to Taslima Nasrin — they are traitors to their own homelands.”
Sharing the post, Sreelekha wrote: “Religion… opportunism… and patriotism… Everyone else is a traitor… Hypocrisy.”
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report