Kolkata: On yet another issue, Mamata Banerjee led Bengal government and centre have locked horns. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Thursday sent a fresh letter to Mamata Banerjee government asking immediate release of three Indian Police Service (IPS) officers for central deputation.
In the letter, the MHA has quoted section 6 (1) of the All India Service officers rule, which says that “in case of any disagreement, the Centre government’s decision shall prevail”.
Taking a potshot at the centre, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee took to twitter and wrote, “A colourable exercise of power and blatant misuse of emergency provision of IPS Cadre Rule 1954”.
“We will not allow this brazen attempt by the Centre to control the State machinery by proxy! West Bengal is not going to cow-down in front of expansionist & undemocratic forces,” the Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo wrote in another tweet.
Notably, the three officers namely Bholanath Pandey, SP, Diamond Harbour, Praveen Tripathi, DIG, Presidency Range and Rajeev Mishra, ADG, South Bengal were responsible for BJP national president JP Nadda’s security during his visit to Bengal last week.
Due to their alleged ‘failure’ to give security to the BJP national president as his convoy was attacked at Sirakol, the central government has assigned new responsibilities to these three IPS officers.
Bholanath Pandey has been deputed as SP, Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD), Praveen Tripathi as DIG, Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and Rajeev Mishra as IG, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP).
Significantly, soon after the alleged attack, a letter was issued by MHA on the same issue, the TMC government refused to release the IPS officers.
Slamming the series of tweets done by the chief minister, BJP general Secretary Sayantan Basu said that if the TMC government has any problem with the orders issued by the Union Home Ministry then the TMC government can move the court.
“This is not the first time such a decision has been taken by the central government. The same was done during the Congress regime. Even Rajiv Gandhi had done the same during 1984-85. If they have any problem they are free to move the court. But due to the negligence of the TMC government the IPS officer should not face a break in their services,” mentioned Basu.
TMC MP Mahua Moitra tweeted and attack BJP on the issue, @BJP spokesperson says, ‘exemplary punitive action’ taken against WB IPS offices for dereliction of duty (sic)”
“Then why entrust them with job of guarding borders & soldiers’ lives with SSB and ITBP Posting? (sic)” she questioned.
