The Governor claimed that both the state chief secretary and the DGP had sent him “identical” messages citing their inability to attend the meeting due to the Covid-19 situation. Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Monday expressed his displeasure in a series of tweets after the state’s chief secretary and the director general of police reportedly skipped a meeting convened by him and sought clarification on whose “direction” the officials stayed away.
Dhankhar had convened the meeting on Monday to discuss why BJP leader and Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari was denied entry by police to Netai in Jhargram district. He was on his way to meet the families of the victims who had died in the 2011 massacre.
In a tweet on Monday, Dhankhar said: “LOP @SuvenduWB ill treatment. Stunned at farcical identical messages “as directed” & premise of meeting boycott with Guv by CS @MamataOfficial & DGP @WBPolice. CS/DGP directed to indicate by 5 PM today under whose “directions” messages were sent.”
The Governor claimed that both the state chief secretary and the DGP had sent him “identical” messages citing their inability to attend the meeting due to the Covid-19 situation. They claimed that several senior officers of the government and their family members were infected with disease and the rest had been assigned duties in the Gangasagar Mela. He also attached screenshots of the messages with his tweet.
Taking strong exception to their “identical” messages”, Dhankhar wrote to the additional chief secretary seeking clarifications. The Governor also shared a copy of his letter on the microblogging site.“Their action prima facie is in blatant disregard of the All India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1968. It is noticed from the messages of both the CS – the fulcrum of bureaucracy in the State – and the DGP – whose mechanism of appointment and tenure is secured by the Hon’ble Supreme Court judgment, have imparted messages under “directions”, the authorization thereof is not spelt out,” read the letter.
It further stated: “Undoubtedly, the Hon’ble Leader of the Opposition in the polity of the State holds a very important and significant position and ill-treatment to him by the State Police and administration, particularly in spite of the directive of the Hon’ble Calcutta High Court, is a matter too serious to be countenanced as it indicates decimation of democratic values. On an issue like this such lackadaisical approach of the CS and the DGP was not expected.”
Meanwhile, the Calcutta High Court on Monday sought a report from the state government on why Adhikari was not allowed to visit Netai despite having taken permission from the court for the same.
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