West Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose on May 5 directed all Raj Bhavan staff to ignore any communication from the Kolkata Police in connection with the complaint filed on May 2 by a female Raj Bhavan employee, complaining that he had sexually harassed her. The Governor has also banned the entry of police personnel into the Raj Bhavan.
“It is clear that in view of Article 361 (2) and (3) of the Constitution of India, the state police cannot act in any manner whatsoever to inquire/investigate/set in motion any kind of proceedings against the hon’ble governor,” a post by Raj Bhawan Kolkata said.
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The statement added that no criminal proceedings whatsoever shall be instituted or continued against the President, or the Governor of a State in any court during his or her term of office.
‘Immunity preempts inquiry’
Earlier, the Kolkata Police had constituted an eight-member special inquiry team to look into the allegations of molestation by the Governor. Police had even sought CCTV footage and summoned a few people working in Raj Bhavan. However, they did not appear before the police.
The two-page letter signed by the Governor states that media reports indicate that the police investigators propose to conduct an inquiry into the incident, examine Raj Bhavan staff, and collect CCTV footage from Raj Bhavan.
“The question that arises is whether the police can conduct an inquiry and collect evidence in view of the immunity enjoyed by the governor,” the Raj Bhavan statement said.
‘Absurd drama’
The development has triggered outrage in social and political circles of the State, with Trinamool Congress leadership — including Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee — targeting the Governor. “The tears of the woman broke my heart,” Ms. Banerjee had said.
Governor Bose on Friday dubbed the charges as an “absurd drama”.
“I welcome all the generous allegations and the frequent innuendoes passed on me by some political forces. I understand, my friends, there is more in the offing. But one thing is clear, none of the absurd dramas is going to deter me from my determined efforts to expose corruption and curb violence,” the Governor said in an audio statement.
