Kolkata: West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Thursday sought detailed information on the criminal cases which the state government has withdrawn against the elected parliamentarians and legislators in the state since May 1, 2021, when the Trinamool Congress came to power in the state for a third consecutive term.
Dhankhar has written to Chief Secretary H.K. Dwivedi, directing the latter to submit a detailed report on this count to the office of the Governor by July 11.
In the letter, the Governor has sent a strong note of caution to the Chief Secretary to avoid failure in submitting the report.
“The Chief Secretary also be cautioned that his repeated failures to make available information sought earlier is a gross violation of The All India Service (Conduct) Rules, 1968 and a misconduct that cannot be overlooked. He needs to ensure that all such information be also sent by July 11, 2022 along with his explanation of failure to ensure compliance thereof,” the letter read.
Although the Governor did not specify the reasons as to why he sought specific information on this count, those in the state’s bureaucratic circles believe that this has some connection with the post-poll violence cases in West Bengal since May 2021, which are being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
In fact, a team of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) had visited the state after the Assembly polls last year and interacted with the victims of the post-poll violence. In its report, the NHRC mentioned names of many elected MLAs and MPs of the ruling Trinamool Congress. It also named a number of state ministers.
The state government, including Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, has on a number of occasions expressed displeasure over the Governor seeking information from bureaucrats or summoning bureaucrats and police officers to the Governor’s house.
(IANS)
