West Bengal Guv points out 'unchecked chaos' outside Raj Bhavan to Police Commissioner

West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Wednesday, sought a report from Commissioner of Police, Kolkata over the agitation in front of the Raj Bhawan in the presence of the Calcutta Police despite the issuance of Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code. 

Distressed Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar took to his official Twitter handle to establish his plight. He stated, 

Governor Dhankhar added a letter along with the tweet, which states:

"It was noticed by me that the security of the Raj Bhawan premises was breached with impunity near its North Gate yesterday afternoon by certain unruly elements in front of a huge posse of a policeman under Kolkata Police. The so-called demonstration by these lumpen elements continued unabated in the presence of a huge police contingent for over two hours from around 1:30 pm onwards."

"No responsive stand by police officials": Head of State

He also said these persons shouted slogans against the Constitutional Head of State and hurled unsavoury slogans denigrating the dignity and prestige of the Head of the State. Governor also claimed that they continuously blocked access to the North Gate, threatening the safety of the high-security Raj Bhawan and compromising the security of His Excellency the Governor of West Bengal as well as his family members. He said, 

"During this entire shocking episode, no responsive stand was taken by senior police officers present at the spot, and the rule of law was violated with impunity. It is no secret that the entire area around the Raj Bhawan premises is covered by prohibitory orders u/s 144 CrPC, but in this instant case, not only were a large contingent of unruly elements allowed to collect at the spot, they were allowed to remain there for over two hours seriously compromising the security of the Head of State, who was ultimately compelled to personally call up the Commissioner of Police, Kolkata."

Governor further said that such elements that brazenly defy the law ought not to go unchecked and the episode casts "serious aspersions upon the performance of the Commissioner of Police, Kolkata". He also stated that no lesson seems to have been drawn from the incident by the local police as yet another incident happened today afternoon near the same spot in front of the North Gate of Raj Bhawan at 3 pm where one person in tandem with a posse of half a dozen sheep blocked the North Gate of Raj Bhawan and posed for photos and videos before a large contingent of media persons while a large contingent of policemen stood witnessing the drama.

According to Governor Dhankhar, no efforts were made to dissuade the person from blocking the entry and egress to Raj Bhawan or for his personal checking to ensure the safety and security of premises. No efforts were seen to either ascertain the identity of the person or check him for the presence of any weapons, etc or even question the person's motives. He also claimed that without taking any logical steps or following any precautionary basic safety protocols including detaining him for questioning, the person was allowed to leave. 

A troubled Governor also shared the video of the incident from his Twitter handle where a man was shouting and creating a ruckus outside the Raj Bhawan.