# West Bengal govt cancels BJP MP’s Banga Bibhushan over Netaji remark 2026-08-13T15:30:06+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 4 independent outlets The West Bengal government revoked the Banga Bibhushan, the state's highest civilian award, from BJP Rajya Sabha MP Nagendranath Roy, also known as Ananta Maharaj, on Thursday. The decision came a day after Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari ordered police to arrest those making derogatory remarks about Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. Roy had described Netaji as a "war criminal" and questioned the role of the Azad Hind Fauj in the freedom struggle. The annulment order, issued by the state information and cultural affairs department, said the continued retention of the honour was "inconsistent with its dignity, prestige and purpose". Roy was awarded the prize on February 21 by former chief minister Mamata Banerjee for his socio-economic work among the Rajbanshi community. The MP has defended his remarks, saying they are based on official documents in the national archives. Separately, a statue of Netaji in Kolkata was found vandalised on Thursday, hours after the chief minister's warning, triggering protests. ## Coverage - rediff.com - hindustantimes.com - news.abplive.com - economictimes.indiatimes.com Tags: Ananta Maharaj, Banga Bibhushan, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Suvendu Adhikari, West Bengal Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/bengal-revokes-bjp-mps-banga-bibhushan-award-over-netaji-remarks/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/bengal-revokes-bjp-mps-banga-bibhushan-award-over-netaji-remarks/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.