Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee hit back in equal measures hours after State Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar shot off yet another letter to her expressing concern over falling law and order situation and violation of human rights.
Stopping short of naming the Governor, Banerjee said there were some people who were engaged in defaming the police administration notwithstanding the service rendered by the men in uniform.
Addressing a small audience at Body Guard Lines the Chief Minister said “our police men are working round the clock for the people, for the society without caring for their own safety and here are some people who are out to defame them … This is being done only for political reasons … even if someone dies of tuberculosis they will call it a death because of failing law and order situation.”
Hours before the Governor wrote to Chief Minister drawing her attention to the custodial death of Madan Ghorai a reported BJP worker from Kanakpur village in East Midnapore district.
Alleging gross human rights violation the letter said that “Recent custodial death of Madan Ghorai … is yet another horrifying instance of dehumanising torture, assault and death in custody.”
Claiming that there was outrage at such “lawlessness in state and outside,” he also referred to the reported police excesses on a Sikh man Balwinder Singh who was reportedly heckled by t he police men catching him by his turban.”
The Governor further said it was “high time you redeem your constitutional oath and enforce rule of law, ensure ‘democratic governance’ in the state, make police and administration ‘politically neutral’ and accountable, sanitise power corridors of non-state actors and ensure that SSA (State Security Advisor) and Principal Advisor Internal Security do not boss over the statutorily structured police apparatus, thereby reducing the DGP and other police officials to abject subordination and to insignificance.”
There has been no love lost between the Governor and the State Government ever since he came to the State last year with the two sides accusing each of interfering in other’s work.
Meanwhile, in an unrelated development the condition of Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh was stated to be stable though he had some lung conditions. Ghosh was admitted to a private hospital after he was diagnosed with corona infection.