Can We Please Just Leave the Poets Alone?

Bengali poet Sunil Gangopadhyay will be tried in India on charges of “defiling a Hindu goddess.”

In an article in Bengal’s biggest newspaper this year, Mr Gangopadhyay was quoted as saying he was “sexually aroused” by an idol of Saraswati. Retired policeman Bhibhuti Bhusan Nandy filed a lawsuit saying the comments had hurt his religious sentiments.

Additional chief judicial magistrate in Calcutta’s Alipore court, Manjit Singh, ordered Mr Gangopadhyay to appear in court on 3 December. The court also ordered legal proceedings against three others – Aveek Kumar Sarkar, editor of the Anandabazar Patrika newspaper, its publisher Bijit Kumar Basu, and chief executive Subir Mitra.

What fresh hell is this? Someone’s religious feelings are “hurt” and this is considered a crime?! And, of course, they get the journalists while they’re at it. Disgusting.