Work in accordance with law, Constitution: Dhankhar tells Mamata

West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Sunday urged Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to work in accordance with the law and the Constitution, and asserted that the state police cannot behave like "political workers". After meeting family members of BJP worker Madan Ghorai, who died allegedly in police custody, Dhankhar said the state police was "playing with fire".

"Work in accordance with the law and the Constitution. You will find your governor working with your government shoulder to shoulder in the service of people," Dhankhar said.

The governor, who has been at odds with the government since assuming charge in the state, said, "Police cannot be political workers." "Those who are sleeping like Kumbhakarna are not aware that there is something like destiny," he told newspersons at the Raj Bhavan. Earlier in the day, Dhankhar wrote a letter to the chief minister and said the demise of Ghorai is yet another instance of "dehumanising torture, assault and death" in custody.

Ghorai was arrested in Patashpur in East Medinipur district on September 26 in connection with a kidnapping case. He was the BJP booth vice-president in the area.

The police had said he was in judicial custody and not in its custody as claimed by the saffron party. Swapan Ghorai, brother of the deceased BJP worker, urged the governor to intervene in the matter.

He handed over a letter to the governor, alleging that the police personnel had beaten his brother at the time of his arrest. Madan was in judicial custody since September 27, and his wife was informed on October 13 that he had died and was asked to collect his dead body from SSKM Hospital here, Swapan said in his letter to the governor.