West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose Raises Security Concerns Over Calcutta Police Presence at Raj Bhavan

On Thursday, West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose stated that he was concerned about a possible threat to his security due to the presence of the Calcutta Police force now stationed at Raj Bhavan.

Days after giving the police order to leave the Raj Bhavan premises, he made his statement. But they remain in the Governor House, continuing their duties.

Bose told PTI, "I have reason to believe that my personal security is in danger due to the presence of the current officer-in-charge and his team."

He remarked, "I told Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee that I feel uneasy with the Calcutta Police at Raj Bhavan, but nothing was done."

According to sources in the Governor House, Bose has protested to the state government about the police officers stationed at Raj Bhavan's continuous snooping, claiming he could sense that they were doing it at the behest of "influencers" from outside.

"Many of my officers and I have been surveilled by the police officers stationed here. Their political overlords in government have given them tacit approval for their actions. The Constitution is being violated, Bose declared.

The governor has periodically brought the issue to Banerjee's attention, but she has not taken any action. The Home portfolio is shared by the Chief Minister.

"The Home department is the parent department of the police department, and none of these can occur without their knowledge," he declared.

Bose stated that he was aware of the "misdeeds" of the police force stationed at Raj Bhavan, which is currently being overseen by the officer-in-charge.

"These were trustworthy reports from multiple sources that the police presence here has been opposing Raj Bhavan and the people's interests. "I have personally confirmed it as well," he said.

According to Bose, a few of the police officers stationed here were previously employed by the state secretariat, "Nabanna."

"They have been doing detective work for someone. I don't want to name that person right now," the governor declared.

Bose made accusations of "snooping" attempts at Raj Bhavan in November 2023. After that, he only allowed Calcutta Police men to enter the Governor House from the ground floor.

He said that the country's vice president at the time, Jagdeep Dhankhar, had also prohibited Calcutta Police officers from entering the Raj Bhavan.

"My predecessor and I had only permitted the Calcutta Police to be present in certain sections of the Raj Bhavan, which are close to the gate, and only on the ground level.

However, I discovered that police officers were secretly observing my guests next to the elevators. They were ordered to leave after being caught red-handed. They were discovered reporting to both those outside of Raj Bhavan and the officer in charge within. One could call this a criminal offense," he stated.

Bose, a former bureaucrat, brought up the Mundhra incident of the 1950s, which forced then-finance minister T T Krishnamachari to retire after the MC Chagla Commission found him constitutionally liable for the acts of his secretary.

"If criminal activities have been undertaken by the police force posted in the Raj Bhavan, the home minister has to be responsible," added the governor.

Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Press Time staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.