‘West Bengal police acting like workers of ruling party’: Governor’s scathing attack on Mamata Banerjee

West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankar slams CM Mamata Banerjee over poor law and order situation in the state.

West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankar on Thursday launched a scathing attack on Mamata Banerjee government over the law and order situation in the state. Dhankar in a video message said that the continuous deterioration of law and order situation in the state is a matter of concern.
He said the state police were acting like workers of the ruling party, adding that opposition MPs and MLAs were being targeted by the police. The Governor suggested that police should function in accordance with the rules.

“As the governor of the state, I am extremely worried to see this alarming decline in the law and order situation in the state,” he said.
“Public representatives and opposition party leaders are virtually being hunted out of public space by the state police. This is undemocratic,” the Governor said.

Dhankhar also claimed that MPs and MLAs were being ill-treated by the police. He then urged Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to find time and interact with him on the matter.

“I have requested the honourable Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to spare time and interact with me… We cannot afford to have police that do not act in accordance with law but act in a partisan manner like a political worker of the ruling party,” he added.

Given enormity of decline in law and order @MamataOfficial have urged CM to urgently brief me.

This as Political Leaders and opposition MPs and MLAs being virtually hunted out of public space by partisan police acting as political workers.

This cannot be allowed in democracy. pic.twitter.com/Sqz0kDoxSF

— Governor West Bengal Jagdeep Dhankhar (@jdhankhar1) July 23, 2020

The West Bengal Governor has been at loggerheads with Mamata Banerjee on several issues since he took charge a year ago. Dhankar had earlier written multiple letters addressed to CM Banerjee over the poor handling of the coronavirus situation in the state.

Dhankar’s comments came after several opposition leaders, including those of the BJP, claimed that they were stopped from distributing relief material to people hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and Cyclone Amphan. Earlier this month, a BJP MLA was found hanging from the ceiling of a veranda outside a shuttered shop near his home in North Dinajpur district.