The MHA team, on a state visit to probe the post-poll violence, in Birbhum on Saturday. (PTI) Taking a serious note of the post-poll violence in West Bengal, Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Saturday called chief secretary Alapan Bandopadhyay and DGP Virendra to the Raj Bhawan and expressed his displeasure for not being updated about the law-and-order situation. He sought a status report from the two officials after the Home Department “failed” to do so.
“Chief Secretary @MamataOfficial and DGP @WBPolice called on me at Raj Bhawan at 6 PM today. Unfortunately both came without any paper or reports sought. Directed them to send the same without delay. In a sense disgusted with such stance. Hope there is appropriate response now,” Dhankhar tweeted after the two officials met him.
The meeting came at a time when sporadic incidents of violence continued in the state. At Khairasol area in Birbhum, a 27-year-old Trinamool worker, Kanti Bauri, was killed allegedly by BJP workers on Friday night. Six people were also injured. Both parties pointed fingers at each other for instigating violence near Muktinagar village under Khairasol police station.
The governor alleged that despite repeated attempts by the Raj Bhawan, the additional chief secretary (ACS) of the Home Department had not forwarded the police report.
“Chief Secretary @MamataOfficial has been called upon to see me today before 7 am as ACS Home @HomeBengal failed to impart status report on law and order regarding post poll violence. He even did not forward reports of DGP @WBPolice and CP @KolkataPolice sent to him on May 3 (sic),” Governor tweeted earlier in the day, calling the ACS (Home) “non responsive and defiant”.
“Non responsive and defiant conduct of ACS home ..to my directive to impart a status report on law and order and steps taken to contain horrifying post poll violence cannot be countenanced (sic),” a Raj Bhawan statement read.
“His sitting on reports of DGP and CP Kolkata and not forwarding the same to me is too serious dereliction of duty to be overlooked. This is aggravating given the worrisome and alarming (situation) in the state as a consequence of post poll retributive violence,” the statement read.
According to the governor, he was earlier told by Bandopadhyay that he could not briefed as the matter was pending before the Calcutta High Court.
“While the state faces worst post election violence – people being made to pay with their lives and freedom only for having exercised right to vote in democracy, Chief Secretary @MamataOfficial comes out with an alibi for not briefing Governor. Directed him to comply by 7 PM today,” Dhankhar tweeted earlier.
Meanwhile, a team of BJP Mahila Morcha, led by its president Vanathi Srinivasan, met Dhankhar in the morning and alleged that party workers and their families were being targeted.
“We were here to tell him the horrific situation prevailing in the state. Our workers and their families are being killed, their houses ransacked. Even women have not been spared. Many have left their home,” said BJP Rajya Sabha MP Rupa Ganguly, a delegation member. The delegation submitted a letter to the governor highlighting atrocities on women.
West Bengal has been rocked by large scale violence after the bitterly fought state elections in which TMC swept to power with 213 seats. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had said 16 persons of different political parties have lost their lives in clashes after the end of the polls.
A four-member team of the union home ministry, tasked with looking into reasons for the post-poll violence in Bengal, also met Dhankhar at Raj Bhawan.
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