Governor Dhankhar raises alarm over MPs, MLAs targeted by 'partisan police' in Bengal

Concerned by the law and order situation in West Bengal, Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar has highlighted the situation under the Trinamool-led West Bengal government and appealed to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to hold a meeting with the Governor and brief him over the 'grim' situation in the state. The Governor highlighted the plight of the opposition leaders, MPs and MLAs claiming that they are being targeted by police which is 'partisan' in nature.

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Speaking over the political targeting of the MPs and opposition leaders in the state, Dhankhar said, "I am extremely worried" and "this is undemocratic and not proper conduct".

"As governor of the state, I am extremely worried of the alarming decline in the law and order situation in my state. Public representatives and opposition party leaders are virtually hunted out of public speech by the state police. This is undemocratic. This is not proper conduct. In such a situation when I find members of parliament and MLAs so ill-treated by the state police in a partisan manner, I thought it fit to invite the attention of the honourable chief minister to this grim situation, to this alarming decline, to this undemocratic stance in our state. I request the honourable chief minister Mamata Banerjee to spare time and interact with me on this worrisome spectacle. I am sure she will give it highest priority. We cannot afford to have police that does not act in accordance with law but acts in a partisan manner like a political worker of the ruling party. I have repeatedly warned the police that it is their obligation to work only according to law and follow their conduct rules. I am sure they will listen to my voice and avoid acting in a partisan manner (sic)," Dhankhar said in a video posted on Twitter.

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Political violence in West Bengal

West Bengal has witnessed an alarming rise in cases of violence against the opposition political figures in the state. Last week, CPI-M turned BJP MLA Debendra Nath Roy was found hanging outside his house. The police claimed a suicide note found in his pocket, while the family members alleged it to be a murder and demanded a thorough investigation by the Central agencies. The family of the MLA claims that he has been killed and hanged later. West Bengal BJP also expressed suspicion and accused the Trinamool Congress of the MLAs death. West Bengal BJP chief Dilip Ghosh had then said, "the public servant elected by the people are not safe, let alone be people at large".

Roy had contested and won the Hemtabad assembly segment - a reserved seat for Scheduled Castes -- on a CPI(M) ticket but had switched over to the BJP last year after the Lok Sabha polls.