Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Tathagata Roy has filed a complaint against Bengali actor Saayoni Ghosh for allegedly hurting sentiments of the Hindu community. The complaint is related to a meme on Shivling shared by Ghosh on Twitter.

In his police complaint on January 16, Roy said that the meme on deity Shiva hurt his religious feelings. Roy said that he is an “ardent follower” of the deity. “I therefore request you to take cognisance of this offence and initiate proceedings against the said Saayoni Ghosh,” he said.

Roy, who was the former governor of Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh, said that another person from Guwahati told him that his religious feelings were also hurt by the meme. The Guwahati resident has also filed a complaint against Ghosh.

“I hope Assam Police will take cognizance and ask for remand,” Roy tweeted, adding that a person from Bengaluru was also approaching the police against the actor.

Ghosh, who claimed that the meme was shared in 2015, said that she had previously mentioned that it was done without her knowledge. “And the moment I was made aware of that, I heavily criticised it and deleted it immediately after informing the public,” she said. “I never had any intention to hurt the sentiment of my own religion.”

The actor said that the harassment she has to face was “deeply saddening”, adding that she had trust in God and the people of West Bengal.