‘Call for Mamata’s fourth term’ by police officers: Suvendu writes to CEC seeking bar on them from election duty

In response, TMC spokesperson Arup Chakraborty told The Indian Express, “Suvendu Adhikari is a pathological liar. He knows that every state may not have a police union but has an association, and they also give votes and they can speak for a particular party. He must have forgotten that recently, they (BJP) had brought army persons on a dharna stage with the BJP logo, so he should not be saying all this.”

At a press conference on Monday, Adhikari presented video clips of speeches allegedly delivered by a Sub-Inspector, an Inspector and a senior officer at the association event. In the videos, the officers are heard expressing their desire to see Mamata Banerjee return as Chief Minister for a fourth term.

Adhikari said the comments made from an official platform violate conduct norms and demanded that current members of the Police Welfare Association be removed from any election duty once the Model Code of Conduct comes into effect. “I have informed the Election Commission three months ahead so they can take appropriate steps. Whether to deploy central forces or not is for the full bench to decide,” he said.

He added that some operational responsibilities of the state police cannot be “handled by central forces alone “and that the Election Commission may need to bring in personnel from other states. “Ideally, this should be communicated once the MCC is in place in February. But I have raised the issue early so the Commission can plan well in advance,” Adhikari said.

“Their (police’s) mindset is now clear to everyone. Voting is confidential; political support is separate. How can such remarks be made publicly from a government platform?” he said. His letter to the CEC also cites guidelines governing the association.

He further said that 915 personnel are associated with the Police Welfare Association — 324 from Kolkata Police and 591 from West Bengal Police — and claimed that some of them do not even wear uniforms.

In his six-page letter to the CEC, Adhikari wrote, “This is not the language of a neutral welfare body but the battle cry of a partisan militia, openly campaigning for the TMC… Such inflammatory rhetoric from serving police personnel, who are sworn to uphold the law impartially, is a direct assault on the constitutional mandate of the Police Force and a clear indication of their deep entrenchment in TMC politics.” He claimed that the incident raises “profound and valid questions” about the force’s ability to ensure free and fair elections.

He added, “These officers… campaigning for Mamata Banerjee’s re-election, have forfeited any claim to neutrality. Their actions violate the Police Act and Service Rules and contravene the Election Commission’s directives on maintaining impartiality among government servants.”