In a development that has left observers baffled and raised serious questions about the use of state machinery, the West Bengal Police have launched what appears to be an aggressive pursuit of social media users. These individuals had recently found themselves in the crosshairs of Trinamool Congress (TMC) Member of Parliament Mahua Moitra following a dispute over alleged leaked chat screenshots.

The situation took a bizarre turn when Ankur Singh, a well-known social media commentator who manages popular handles such as ‘Political Kida’, received a formal communication from the social media platform X (formerly Twitter). The email informed him that the West Bengal Police had officially demanded his personal data. This request was sweeping in its scope, seeking the mobile number registered to his account, his Gmail address, and his most recent IP location details.

The correspondence from X included two specific attachments: a notice issued under Section 94 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and a copy of the First Information Report (FIR) that justified the demand for this data. However, upon reviewing the documents, Ankur Singh was met with a shock. The FIR used to demand the private details of him and other social media users was not related to cyber defamation or online harassment, but was connected to a grave murder case that occurred months earlier, in October 2025.

Reacting to the absurdity of being linked to a violent crime in a state he does not visit, Ankur Singh took to social media to express his disbelief. He described the state of law and order in West Bengal as "a joke."

In his statement, he highlighted the disconnect between his online activities and the charges referenced: “Mahua knows that filing a case in the matter will only expose her truth. So, she made the Bengal DGP attach our names to a murder case which happened in October 2025. The case is of abduction and murder in Bengal 4 months ago. I never went to Bengal in the last 25 years. I don’t know anyone mentioned in the case. And why do they need Gmail and IP details from X in it? Did we abduct and murder via a tweet? How can you expect Bengal Police to act against criminals when the Bengal DGP is himself filing such fraud cases?”

The timing of these events is particularly noteworthy. On February 5th, Mahua Moitra had posted a series of screenshots on social media, explicitly identifying handles such as Ankur, Tanisha, Fauzdar15, and Saffronhawk. She stated at the time that she had filed FIRs against them. Just two days later, on February 7th, the West Bengal police issued the notice to X.

Specifics of the Investigation Seeking User Data

To understand the strangeness of this connection, media outlet OpIndia investigated the specific FIR used by the police to demand data on these netizens.

The case dates back to October 31, 2025. On that day, a man named Debasish Kamila filed a formal complaint at the Bidhannagar (South) police station regarding the disappearance and death of his brother-in-law. Based on this complaint, the police registered an FIR against a man named Prashanta Barman and several unknown individuals. The charges were serious, filed under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Sections 103(1), 140(3), 238, 303(2), and 61(2).

According to the complainant, his brother-in-law, who worked as a goldsmith in Kolkata, was allegedly abducted from outside his workplace. The abductors reportedly posed as officials, with one individual identifying himself as a Block Development Officer (BDO) named Prasanta Barman. The victim never returned home. Tragically, the following day, a body matching his description was discovered in a canal area in New Town. The family suspects that the men who abducted him were responsible for his murder and the subsequent disposal of his body. They have since demanded a thorough and impartial investigation.

The legal proceedings regarding the primary accused, Barman, have been extensive. He initially secured anticipatory bail from a lower court, a decision the West Bengal Police successfully challenged in the Calcutta High Court. Following the High Court's decision to set aside his bail, Barman approached the Supreme Court. However, on January 20, 2026, the Supreme Court refused to grant him relief and ordered him to surrender by January 23rd.

Despite this being a localized crime involving specific suspects on the ground, the police have used this case to seek information on social media users living in different parts of the country. As Ankur Singh noted, he has not set foot in West Bengal for a quarter of a century. The other handles targeted in this dragnet include Surajit Dasgupta (surajitdasgupta), Tanisha Vashistha (bitchybothe), fauzdar15, and saffronhawk.

In a conversation with OpIndia, Ankur Singh elaborated on the illogical nature of the police action. He emphasized: “All the handles targeted belong to people from different states who merely posted about a TMC leader. I don’t have any connection with West Bengal, let alone a local kidnapping and murder case. If we are being dragged for posting about a TMC leader, it appears tweets have now been linked to a serious criminal investigation. Someone really needs to research what kind of technology can convert social media posts into abduction and murder.”The Chat Leak Context

The root of this conflict appears to be a recent controversy involving leaked chat screenshots. These images went viral on social media, with allegations that they depicted a conversation between TMC MP Mahua Moitra and Prashant Kishor, the chief of Jan Suraaj.

Following the viral spread of these images, Moitra publicly announced that she had taken legal action against several specific X handles, including those mentioned above. Now, in a conflation of events that many find alarming, the West Bengal Police have named these exact handles in connection with a violent kidnapping and murder investigation to procure their personal digital footprints from X.