A “missing” complaint was filed in jest by a group of BJP supporters against Trinamool Congress MP from Asansol, Shatrughan Sinha on Sunday triggering a political controversy in Bengal’s Paschim Bardhaman district.
The BJP workers claimed that Sinha had remained inaccessible to constituents since the Assembly election results were declared.
Led by local BJP leader Dayal Chatterjee, the protesters marched to the Ukhra Police Outpost under Andal Police Station carrying photographs of the veteran actor-turned-politician marked “Missing”.
They later submitted a symbolic complaint to the Asansol-Durgapur Police Commissionerate.
“Shatrughan Sinha has not been seen publicly since May 4, after the Assembly election results. Local residents have been unable to meet their elected representative regarding several issues over the past two months,” Chatterjee alleged.
The protest drew a sharp response from Trinamool Congress MP from Durgapur-Bardhaman, Kirti Jha Azad, who defended his party colleague.
“Shatrughan Sinha has been critically ill and is undergoing medical treatment. Targeting a leader during a health crisis shows how low the state’s political discourse has fallen,” Azad said.
Senior BJP leaders and MLAs from the Asansol organisational district distanced themselves from the protest and declined to comment on the incident.
Sinha was also absent from the Trinamool Congress’ July 21 programme in Kolkata led by party chief Mamata Banerjee.
Earlier this year, he became a voter of the Asansol North Assembly constituency and cast his vote along with his wife during the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections.
Though Azad said that Sinha was ill, the legislator surfaced in public discourse by launching a sharp attack on the Narendra Modi-led NDA government over its handling of the recent examination paper leak controversy.
Speaking in an interview in New Delhi on Saturday, the Asansol MP termed the Centre’s response “too little, too late” and said accountability should have been fixed much earlier.