West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose on Thursday said that he does not feel safe with the Kolkata Police contingent deployed at the Raj Bhavan at present. "I have reasons to believe that the presence of the current officer-in-charge and his team is a threat to my personal security," he said.
Bose said that he had informed Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of his apprehension, however, no action was taken in this regard.
Citing sources in the Governor House, news agency PTI reported that Bose had complained to the state government that there was constant prying by the police personnel in the Raj Bhavan. Bose could reportedly sense that the snooping was being done on insistence from "influencers" from outside.
The Governor's statement comes days after he ordered Kolkata police personnel deployed at the Raj Bhavan to vacate the premises immediately. But they are still on duty at the complex.
An official said that Bose plans to convert the police outpost near Raj Bhavan's North Gate into a 'Jan Manch' (public platform).
The development came in the backdrop of police preventing BJP leader Suvendhu Adhikari and other alleged victims of post-poll violence from entering the Raj Bhavan to meet Bose, despite having a written permission from the Governor himself.
Police had stopped Adhikari citing CrPC Section 144, which is imposed outside the Governor House, prohibiting large gatherings.
Bose had also written to Mamata to know the reasons as to why Adhikari and others were stopped from meeting him.
Subsequently, the Calcutta High Court questioned whether Bose was effectively under "house arrest", adn allowed Adhikari to visit the Governor House with the "victims of post-poll violence" upon receiving permission from Bose's office.
(With PTI inputs)
