The high voltage tension between the Centre and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee escalated with the Trinamool Congress Government on Friday deciding to move the Supreme Court after the Centre issued a mandatory order to three Bengal cadre Indian Police Services (IPS) officers — whom they had earlier ordered on Central deputation — to report in Delhi by Friday.
Even as the State Government refused to release the officers accusing the BJP of violating federal norms — that made the State’s clearance necessary to send Central services officers on deputations — the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) summoned the three IPS officers to report to the Centre setting a reporting deadline of 5 pm on Friday.
The MHA had issued transfer letters to the three officers — Rajeev Mishra (ADG, South Bengal); Praveen Kumar Tripathi (DIG, Presidency Range) and Bhola Nath Pandey (SP, Diamond Harbour) — over alleged lapses in security arrangement to BJP chief JP Nadda during his December 10 visit to Bengal.
The convoy of Nadda was attacked by an alleged crowd of TMC leaders in which a number of vehicles were damaged and senior leaders like Kailash Vijaybargiya and Mukul
Roy received injuries leading the Centre to question the law and order situation of the State.
The Bengal Government moved the Apex Court citing the provisions under Article 312 of Constitution according to which the officers could be taken on Central deputation only after getting clearance from the respective State.
The law suit came hours after Bengal Chief Minister called the Centre’s attitude as “expansionist” and vowed not to cow down before News Delhi. Interestingly retired IAS officers, Bikram Sarkar and IPS officer Gautam Chakrabarty referred to special circumstances when the Centre could lift officers from the State and “there is nothing that the State can do about this.”
The Centre-State tussle went beyond the IPS transfer controversy with the MHA once again summoning Bengal Chief Secretary Alapan Bandopadhyay and DGP Virendra for meeting in Delhi which the officers politely refused to comply with citing the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
The two officials however proposed virtual meeting that the Centre had agreed to sources said.