In what the critics called a ploy to bring the pro-Mamata Banerjee police officers under pressure a year ahead of the State elections Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Tuesday called for a probe into the “financial capabilities” (read asset) of senior police officers.
Raising an issue that no other Governor had raised before since Independence Dhankhar in a letter written to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said “police in the State have fingers in very pie and this does not augur well for democracy.”
Alleging that it was the police officers who were actually running the State he wrote “Inputs indicate that the governance in the State is police driven --- a worrisome scenario that leads to a police state.” Hinting that hat a time had come when the police officers should be probed, he wrote “… time to take note of the fiscal empowerment of those in the police, in position of authority, and it will be eye-opener as many assert.” Incidentally the Chief Minister is also the State’s Police Minister.
Hitting out at Banerjee for lodging a complaint with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi against him Dhankhar wrote “your observations are bereft off any fact, premise or foundation --- there being not even one illustration to sustain these.
A look at my communications and tweets would bear out my wholesome motivations, primacy ever being the welfare of the people --- be it systematic destruction of the Railway property during the CAA-agitation, rampant corruption in Amphan relief distribution … alarming law and order scenario, oppressive police action against opposition and many more.”
Banerjee had on Monday told the Prime Minister in a virtual meeting how “some people in the constitutional posts do non-cooperation” and interfere with the Government’s works.