An employee at the Raj Bhavan in Kolkata on Thursday accused West Bengal governor CV Ananda Bose of molestation, an allegation that the latter denied even as the matter sparked a massive political storm that coincided with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s arrival at the governor’s residence as part of his two-day visit to the state.
While the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) said it is “shameful” that Bose has maligned his post and has used it to “torture a woman”, the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said the governor can never commit such a crime.
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According to a police officer aware of the details, the woman, a contractual staffer at the Raj Bhavan, alleged that the governor molested her at least twice at his chamber since April 24.
“The woman came crying to the police outpost on the Raj Bhavan premises on Thursday evening, saying that the governor molested her after calling her to his chamber on the pretext of offering her a permanent job. The woman said she was first molested on April 24. She said she took her supervisor along on Thursday when the governor wanted to meet her but Bose asked the supervisor to leave before molesting her again,” the officer said, seeking anonymity.
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A second police officer, who also did not wish to be named, said: “A female officer from Lalbazar was sent to the outpost to take the woman to Hare Street police station where several IPS officers rushed in view of the gravity of the complaint. The woman submitted a written complaint. She said that she was appointed as a temporary employee of Raj Bhavan in June 2019. She said she was staying at the staff quarters on the premises since her family does not live in Kolkata.”
No first information report (FIR) was registered till the time of filing this report.
Police officers at the headquarters at Lalbazar said top IPS officers held a meeting on seeking legal opinion since Article 361 of the Constitution does not allow any criminal or civil case to be filed against a governor and the President.
In a statement, Bose denied the allegations. “Truth shall triumph. I refuse to be cowed down by engineered narratives. If anybody wants some election benefits by maligning me, God Bless them. But they cannot stop my fight against corruption and violence in Bengal….,” he said.
The allegations created a stir as Modi arrived at the Raj Bhavan as part of his visit to the state. He is scheduled to address three rallies for the ongoing Lok Sabha elections in the state on Friday.
Authorities at the Raj Bhavan also banned the entry of police for conducting any investigation. “Hon’ble Governor banned entry of police into Raj Bhavan premises in the guise of conducting unauthorised, illegitimate, sham and motivated ‘investigation’ to placate political bosses during elections,” the governor’s house said in a separate statement.
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The Raj Bhavan also banned the entry of state minister Chandrima Bhattacharya in all three governor’s residences in Kolkata, Darjeeling and Barrackpore and announced to skip events attended by her, triggering a sharp reaction from the TMC leader.
“Raj Bhavans are not personal properties of any individual. The governor may choose not to meet me but he cannot ban my entry. And, I am not too keen to invite him to my events,” Bhattacharya said.
“It is appalling and shocking to see such an incident. This is the same governor who had reached out to Sandeshkhali to talk about women’s rights and Nari Shakti,” West Bengal women and child development minister Shashi Panja said, referring to allegations of crimes against women by TMC leaders in Sandeshkhali in the state’s North 24 Parganas district.
“This is shameful that the governor sought undue advantages on the pretext of giving her a permanent job. We want Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who will be addressing rallies in Bengal tomorrow, to react on this issue,” she added.
Hitting back, former Bengal BJP chief Tathagata Roy, who served as governor in Meghalaya, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh, said: “I know this governor from the time when he was an IAS officer. Personally, I think he can never commit such a crime. Moreover, a governor cannot be charged under criminal and civil laws according to Article 361. The TMC missed that point while pulling this trick to divert attention from molestation of women by its leaders in Sandeshkhali and the various scams in which its leaders are accused.”
