West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose on Friday criticised the state government for not allowing alleged victims of post-poll violence to enter the Raj Bhavan, despite his office issuing permission for it and described the episode as "unconstitutional".
Bose, who earlier in the day visited a shelter in the city to meet people affected by the post-poll violence and sought a report from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on why police had stopped them from entering the Raj Bhavan, said there was no response from the state government.
"I'm waiting for some inputs from the government on the issue of post-poll violence and then I will be able to give you my comments. At the outset, I regret to say that there has been no response from the government," Bose told reporters at the Raj Bhavan.
"The incident was an unpardonable act from the government... preventing the victims of violence from airing their grievances to the constitutional head of the state...That situation was brought to the notice of (the) government yesterday," he said.
The police on Thursday prevented BJP legislator and Leader of the Opposition in the assembly Suvendu Adhikari and the alleged victims of post-poll violence from entering the Raj Bhavan to meet Bose, citing Section 144 of the CrPC, which is in force outside the Governor House.
"Yesterday I gave permission to the victims of violence in the field who came from various parts of Bengal to meet me in the Raj Bhavan and air their grievances. I was shocked to find that for one reason or the other, they were all prevented from exercising their democratic rights or defending their lives.
"As you know, the right to life is an inalienable fundamental right in the Constitution of India. Every responsible government, every civilized government, has a right to defend the Constitution. But here is a flagrant violation of the Constitution, not once but many times," he said.
Bose, in his communication to Banerjee, also referred to constitutional norms that require chief ministers to intimate governors about all decisions of the council of ministers relating to the administration of state affairs and proposals for legislation.
The governor went on to refer to Article 167 of the Constitution, which said the CM of every state has to communicate to their respective governors all decisions of the council of ministers relating to the administration of the affairs of the state and proposals for legislation.
Further referring to the incidents of post-poll violence in West Bengal, Bose said, "Truth cannot be suppressed...Truth will one day be out. What is happening on the streets of West Bengal in many pockets... is violence...unbridled violence is something which is shocking, which is deplorable, to say the least."
Bose visited Maheshwari Bhawan in Burrabazar and met around 150 people affected by violence in the state after the Lok Sabha polls.
“I have heard the victims. That is one version of the story. As a governor, I would like to be fair before making any comments. I have sought a report. After listening to what the government has to say, I will give you my opinion," Bose added.
