On Sunday (August 22), an Indian national by the name of Tamal Bhattacharya sparked controversy after he praised the Taliban following his return to his home in Kolkata from Afghanistan.
Tamal, a 34-year-old resident of Nimta in the North Dum Dum area, was stranded in Afghanistan ever since the Taliban took control of the country. He had been working as a physics and chemistry teacher at an army school (Kardan International school) in Kabul since March this year. A mechanical engineer by training, Tamal was living in the staff quarters of his school. However, after the Taliban took over the city of Kabul, he was forced to lock himself up inside the principal’s residence.
He alleged to have contacted the Indian embassy and couldn’t reach the Hamid Karzai International airport despite several attempts. Later, he claimed to have reached the airport gate at 11 pm on Friday, only to be returned by the US security forces due to the absence of government officials and documents. He added that Talibs were surrounding the airport and had to spend the night in a nearby wedding hall. While speaking to Anandabazaar Patrika, he said, “Please Modiji, Amit Shah der apna ra bolun, jate amader kotha bhebe druto kono bebosta kora hoi (Please inform PM Modi and Amit Shah so that immediate action is taken for our evacuation).
According to his parents, Tamal was picked up by the Taliban on Saturday (August 21) afternoon. ABP Ananda reported that the Indian national had notified them about the development through a message on Whatsapp. His parents claimed that he was released by the radical Islamists after being interrogated. Eventually, Tamal was evacuated by an Indian Air Force (IAF) carrier along with 10 other Bengali residents. He boarded the flight late on Saturday night and reached the National capital on Sunday morning.
Tamal thanks the Taliban for good food, and cricket
On the same day, he returned to Kolkata via a flight from New Delhi. Tamal, who was successfully rescued by the Indian government from his perilous state, heaped praise upon the Taliban after reaching home. As per a report in ABP News, Tamal Bhattacharya claimed that the Taliban has not only treated him well but also fed him good food. “They (Talibs) also played cricket with us,” he claimed. This is despite the fact that he had earlier pleaded with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah to evacuate him immediately from Taliban-controlled Kabul.
Netizens question the doublespeak of the rescued Indian national
Netizens were aghast at the doublespeak of Tamal Bhattacharya. Twitter user, Vice President of BJP’s Mahila Morcha Keya Ghosh remarked, “Pic 1: A person stuck in Kabul desperately sends distress calls. Urges PM to make arrangements to evacuate him. Pic 2: Once landed in Kolkata, he has all praises for #Talibans. Even said they played “football (cricket)”. He revealed the nature of a true Communist.”
Pic 1: A person stuck in Kabul desperately sends distress calls. Urges PM to make arrangements to evacuate him.
— Keya Ghosh (@keyakahe) August 23, 2021
Pic 2: Once landed in Kolkata, he has all praises for #Talibans. Even said they played “football”.
He revealed the nature of a true Communist. pic.twitter.com/WTPTVp4RL3
Another user lamented, “It is important to keep people like him under surveillance. One who supports terrorists is not less than a terrorist. People like him (Tamal) are dangerous for this nation.”
Ini ebong enar moto monobhaber manus der ke kora nojordarir moddhe rakha hok. Terrorist ke support kore je se terrorist er theke kichu kom noe. Enar moto lokera ekn Bharater jonno dangerous. 🙏🏻
— HINDU_thats_it (@Sumerian_Godd) August 23, 2021
Another user remarked, “Who is this idiot? I urge the Government of India (GOI) to send him back (to Afghnaistan).”
Who is this Idiot?
— Atanu Das 🇮🇳 (@AD1India) August 23, 2021
I urge GOI to send him back.
Besides Indian Air Force, a special Air India flight carrying 87 Indians from Afghanistan’s Kabul also left for Delhi early on Sunday. The Indians were taken to Tajikistan’s capital of Dushanbe from Kabul on board a transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) on Saturday.
