The statement added that Bose would not participate in any function attended by the Minister, adding that the Raj Bhawan has contacted the Attorney General of India for advice on further legal steps against the Minister…reports Asian Lite News
A day after a temporary female staff at the Raj Bhavan filed a written complaint with the police accusing West Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose of outraging her modesty, the governor issued an order on Thursday night banning the entry of the police and Minister of State for Finance Chandrima Bhattacharya, into the Raj Bhavan.
Bose also called the allegations “engineered narratives”, stating that he won’t be cowed down by the allegations.
A statement issued by the Raj Bhavan read: “For defamation and anti-constitutional media statements against Governor C.V. Ananda Bose, a junior gubernatorial appointee Chandrima Bhattacharya, Minister of State (Independent Charge), Department of Finance, has been banned entry into the Raj Bhavan premises in Kolkata, Darjeeling, and Barrackpore,” read a statement issued by the Governor’s office.
The statement added that Bose would not participate in any function attended by the Minister, adding that the Raj Bhawan has contacted the Attorney General of India for advice on further legal steps against the Minister.
“The Hon’ble Governor also banned the entry of police into the Raj Bhavan premises in the guise of conducting an unauthorised, illegitimate, sham and motivated investigation to placate political bosses during elections,” the statement added.
According to police sources, the woman, a temporary staffer at Raj Bhavan, approached the police post located inside the Governor’s House and accused Bose of molesting her. She was then taken to Hare Street where she filed a written complaint accusing the governor of molesting her on the pretext of offering her job.
Senior police officials said they received a complaint and are looking into it. “We have received a complaint and are conducting an investigation. We are also consulting the matter with constitutional experts of the law department. As per the woman’s allegation, she was molested inside Raj Bhavan,” Deputy Commissioner of Central Division Indira Mukherjee told reporters.
TMC leaders soon reacted to the accusations calling it appalling and horrifying. “BIG. Bengal governor CV Ananda Bose was accused of molesting a woman. How utterly appalling and Horrifying. Ahead of @narendramodi visit to Kolkata who is supposed to stay overnight at Raj Bhavan, a woman has alleged that she was molested while she went to meet the Governor at Raj Bhavan today. The complainant has been taken to the Hare Street police station to file a complaint. The woman has accused the Governor of molesting her. Shocking and disgraceful,” TMC Rajya Sabha MP Sagarika Ghose said in a post on X.
However, the governor took to X to dismiss the accusations. “Truth shall triumph. I refuse to be cowed down by engineered narratives. If anybody wants some election benefits by maligning me, God bless them. But they cannot stop my fight against corruption and violence in Bengal.”
Sources in the Governor House said that the “woman employee with the help of her alleged boyfriend who is also an employee of the Raj Bhavan was blocking complaints (from people) being sent to the Election Commission of India.”
“When she was reprimanded for that, she went outside and alleged molestation. She is in the habit of throwing tantrums against her colleagues because of some disease.”
The incident comes as Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is scheduled to address three election rallies in West Bengal on Friday, arrived in state capital Kolkata on Thursday evening. Modi went straight to the Raj Bhavan from the airport where he would stay for the night.
BJP drops Brij Bhushan, fields his son
Putting an end to speculations around Uttar Pradesh’s Kaiserganj seat, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday declared former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh’s son Karan Bhushan Singh as its candidate from the seat for the Lok Sabha elections.
The Kaiserganj constituency is currently held by BJP’s Brij Bhushan Singh, who is a three-time MP from the seat. He, however, has not been given ticket this time.
The seat had become a point of pondering for the BJP after Brij Bhushan was accused of sexual harassment of female wrestlers.
This sparked massive protests by several athletes including Sakshi Malik, Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat. The Delhi Police filed chargesheet in connection with the case against the former WFI chief in June last year.
The BJP also announced the candidature of Dinesh Pratap Singh from the Rae Bareli constituency. Singh had also contested the polls from the same seat against Sonia Gandhi in 2019 and BJP has affirmed confidence on him.
Rae Bareli seat has been a Gandhi family’s stronghold. Congress’ former chairperson Sonia Gandhi retained the seat in 2019. She, however, won’t contest this time as she has been nominated to Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan.
Meanwhile, the suspense on Amethi and Rae Bareli — two Congress strongholds continues as Congress hasn’t announced its candidates for both seats.
In 2019, BJP’s Smriti Irani ended Congress’ stint from the seat by defeating Rahul Gandhi from Amethi. BJP had announced its candidates for most of the seats in UP, but the announcement for the Kaiserganj constituency was awaited.
Both Kaiserganj and Rae Bareli will vote on May 20 in the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections.
In the 2019 election, Brij Bhushan defeated BSP’s Chandradev Ram Yadav from a margin of over 2.5 lakh votes. (ANI)
