Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP and former cricketer Yusuf Pathan has landed in controversy for his recent Instagram post. The post captioned, “Easy afternoons, good chai and calm surroundings. Just soaking in the moment”, attracted sharp criticism as it surfaced amid ongoing violence in Murshidabad. Pathan’s constituency Baharampur is part of Murshidabad district.

Tension has been high in the district after protests over the amended Waqf Act where at least three have been reported dead. The Calcutta High Court has recently ordered the deployment of central forces because of the deteriorating law and order situation.

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The post provoked immediate backlash online, with many of the users termed Pathan’s post insensitive given the current crisis in the region. One user wrote, “Your constituency is burning and you are posing here on Instagram. Are you even human?” Another one stated, “Thanks for remembering us. Nero fiddled while Rome burned.” Other comments raised questions on his leadership capability: ”Do you even know what’s going on in your constituency?’’ and “When Murshidabad is burning, the MP of that area is drinking tea and enjoying life.”

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The criticism intensified further when BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala took to X stating, ”Bengal is burning. HC has said that it can’t keep eyes closed and positioned central forces. Mamata Banerjee is encouraging such state-protected violence as the Police stays silent! Meanwhile, Yusuf Pathan-PM sips tea and soaks in the moment as Hindus get slaughtered… This is TMC.”

Pathan has not publicly replied to the controversy, the post has also placed him under growing pressure to address the unrest in Murshidabad.