Union Home Secretary holds meet with Bengal officials

Quizzed on steps taken by state to curb cases of political violence

Speaker Biman Bandopadhyay shows the undated resignation letter of TMC leader Subhendu Adhikari in Kolkata on Friday. PTI

Mukesh Ranjan

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 18

Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla today held a video conference meet with West Bengal Chief Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay and Director General of Police (DGP) Virendra after the senior officials from the state conveyed their inability to travel to the national capital.

Sources said the virtual meeting, which lasted about 35 minutes, went on well amicably. Other than the state officials from the Centre's side, the Home Secretary, who chaired the meeting, was assisted by Intelligence Bureau Director Arvind Kumar and Joint Secretary (Internal Security) in the MHA Punya Salila Srivastava.

The sources said the Union Home Secretary took note of the political violence in the state and asked the state officials about the steps taken so far in this regard. Refusal by the state government to shift three IPS officers on central deputations also figured during the deliberations, they added. 

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New Delhi: The SC on Friday issued notice to the West Bengal Government on petitions filed by BJP leaders Arjun Singh, Kailash Vijayvargiya, Pawan Singh, Sourav Singh and Mukul Roy challenging filing of “false FIRs” against saffron party workers by the state police in the run-up to the Assembly elections early next year. A Bench headed by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul ordered that no coercive steps should be taken against the petitioners till the next date of hearing. TNS

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