Move is likely to escalate tussle between Centre, Mamata Govt
A day after West Bengal’s Chief Secretary and DGP defied the summons, the Union Home Ministry on Saturday directed three IPS officers of West Bengal to report on Central deputation. The three officers — Bhalanath Pandey, SP of Diamond Harbour; Praveen Tripati, DIG of Presidency Range and Rajeev Mishra, ADG of South Bengal — were responsible for the security of the BJP chief JP Nadda, whose motorcade was attacked by the TMC cadre.
The move is likely to further escalate the ongoing tussle between the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress Government in West Bengal and the BJP-led Central Government following the attack on the convoy of Nadda two days ago.
“Three Indian Police Service officers belonging to the West Bengal cadre have been called to serve in Central deputation in view of the lapses that led to the attack on Nadda’s convoy in West Bengal,’’ an MHA official said.
The decision has been taken under the rules governing the all India service officers, the official said. Usually, the State Government’s consent is taken before any all India service officer is called to serve in Central deputation.
In February 2019, Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar was also in a similar way repatriated to Central deputation.
Terming it a “political move” by the Centre, senior Trinamool Congress lawmaker Kalyan Banerjee wrote to Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla, saying that law and order is a State subject. Banerjee alleged that the Centre was resorting to coercive means to intimidate the State administration, and the top officials were summoned at the instance of the Home Minister Amit Shah.
On Friday, Bengal Chief Secretary Alapan Bandopadhyay and Director General of Police Virendra refused to heed the orders of the Union Home Ministry asking their presence in the North Block after serious security lapses occurred during Nadda’s visit to Diamond Harbour.
His convoy was attacked by miscreants on Thursday damaging a number of vehicles and causing injury to party men including senior BJP leaders.
The Home Ministry promptly made an unprecedented move directing the top Bengal officials to appear before it and explain the security lapses. Incidentally Home Minister Amit Shah who is personally monitoring the Central probe into attack on Nadda’s convoy is likely to visit Bengal on December 19 and will stay here for two days, sources said.
In response to the Home Ministry’s letter the Chief Secretary wrote back saying his and DGP’s presence in Delhi was avoidable as the matter was “already being examined” by the State Government.