Bengal governor asks on-duty cops to vacate Raj Bhavan
West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose served a notice on Monday to Kolkata Police personnel deployed at the Raj Bhavan to immediately vacate the premises. The notice came a day after the Kolkata police personnel reportedly stopped "victims of the post-poll violence in the state from meeting and informing the governor about their issues." According to several reports, Bose is planning to convert the police outpost near the North Gate of the Raj Bhavan into a "Jan Manch" (public platform).
Governor's order comes day after incident at Raj Bhavan
Notably, on Thursday, Kolkata Police prevented senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Suvendu Adhikari and alleged victims of post-poll violence from entering the Raj Bhavan, citing Section 144 of the CrPC (Code of Criminal Procedure), which forbids the large gathering inside the premises. After this, Adhikari and the other person approached the Calcutta High Court, highlighting that, in spite of having written permission, the police had stopped them.
HC and governor's response to the row
On Saturday, the HC questioned if Bose was effectively under "house arrest" and permitted Adhikari to visit Raj Bhavan. In response, the governor had said, "The Calcutta High Court has issued an order. They are surprised that the Governor is seemingly under house arrest, as those who were attacked could not meet him. We will ensure Bengal is free from violence. I pledge in the name of Netaji, Rabindranath, and Swami Vivekananda that I will fight till the end."
