Union Home Secretary holds virtual meeting with Bengal Chief Secretary, DGP

KOLKATA: Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla held a meeting with Chief Secretary Alapan Bandopadhyay and Director General of Police Virendra on Friday evening through a video conference at the state secretariat. 

Bhalla gave a nod to discuss the state’s law and order situation through video conference after Banopadhyay, in response to the Union Home secretary’s second letter asking the two officials to visit Delhi on Friday, said he would not be able to fly due to Covid-19 pandemic.

Bandopadhyay had requested Bhalla to hold the meeting through video conference, a practice followed on several occasions during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The row between the Centre and Mamata Banerjee’s government intensified as the Centre had asked Bandopadhyay and Virendra to visit its North Block office to discuss the state’s alleged deteriorating law and order issue in the wake of the attack on BJP’s national president JP Nadda’s motorcade on December 10. 

Responding to Bhalla’s first letter, Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee had asked Bandopadhyay to ignore the summons.

On Thursday evening, Bhalla wrote the second letter to the two top brasses asking them to meet him on Friday afternoon and Banopadhyay requested to discuss the issue through video conference citing the pandemic situation.