Bengal Governor orders on-duty personnel of Kolkata Police to 'immediately' vacate Raj Bhavan premises

Kolkata: West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose on Monday morning ordered Kolkata Police personnel deployed at the Raj Bhavan to immediately vacate the premises, an official said.

Bose is planning to convert the police outpost near the North Gate of the Raj Bhavan into a 'Jan Manch' (public platform), he said.

"The governor has directed police officers deployed inside the Raj Bhavan, including the officer-in-charge, to immediately vacate the premises," the official told PTI.

The move comes days after the police prevented BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari and alleged victims of post-poll violence in the state from entering the Raj Bhavan to meet Bose, despite the governor giving them a written permission in this regard.

The police had stopped Adhikari from entering the Raj Bhavan citing Section 144 of CrPC, which is in force outside the Governor House, prohibiting large gatherings.

Bose had written to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, seeking to know on what ground Adhikari and the others were stopped by police from entering the Raj Bhavan premises.

The Calcutta High Court subsequently questioned whether Bose was effectively under "house arrest", and allowed Adhikari to visit Raj Bhavan with the “victims of post-poll violence” upon receiving permission from the governor’s office.

Adhikari and another person had filed a petition in the high court, asserting that despite having written permission, police had barred their entry into the Raj Bhavan.

Following the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP accused the TMC of post-poll violence, which the ruling party in the state has denied.