A day after West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose announced a special cell to monitor the situation in violence-hit areas of Howrah in real time, the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Saturday questioned the decision, saying It was not clear if such a Raj Bhavan could establish a unit.
Violent scenes of looting and arson were witnessed during a Ram Navami procession in some area of Howrah on Thursday. Similar incidents of violence were also reported in the district on Friday.
On Friday, the Governor had a discussion with the Chief Minister mama banerjee about the incident. He also received a detailed report from West Bengal Chief Secretary HK Dwivedi and the state Home Secretary BP Gopalika on the situation in Howrah. Later in the day, Bose issued a statement announcing his decision to establish a special surveillance cell.
“The governor ordered real-time monitoring of the situation and set up a special cell for it,” read a statement issued by Raj Bhavan on Friday.
Reacting to the move, TMC State General Secretary Kunal Ghosh said there was confusion over the announcement. “We don’t know if the Raj Bhavan can establish such a cell. We do not know if there is any legal provision in this regard. However, even if the cell obtains information from independent or private sources, questions will remain as to whether or not the information received was authentic,” Ghosh said.
He Bharatiya Janata Festival (BJP) was quick to point to the ruling party and justified the Governor’s measure. “As the constitutional head of state, it is the governor’s duty to protect the democratic rights of the people of the state. Therefore, it is within his bounds to order the installation of the cell. It is also within his bounds to seek situation reports from the state chief secretary and the state home secretary,” BJP spokesman Samik Bhattacharya said.
Meanwhile, speaking to reporters outside Bagdogra airport in north Bengal on Saturday, Bose said the situation in Howrah was under control and the special cell was monitoring things closely. “The situation is under control. The police are monitoring. Raj Bhavan has set up a special cell for real-time monitoring. Normality has returned. The stores have started to open. The situation is under surveillance. All necessary measures will be taken so that such incidents are not repeated in the future,” said the Governor.
Discover more from PressNewsAgency
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.