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Journalism of Courage
An FIR has been registered against TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee in Kolkata on a complaint lodged by the Raj Bhavan for accusing West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose of “sheltering BJP’s criminals” and “stocking arms and ammunition”.
The FIR, lodged at Hare Police Station on a complaint by the Raj Bhavan, has booked Banerjee under several sections of BNS, including those pertaining to crime to assault or wrongfully restrain the President or a Governor with the intent to compel them from exercising their lawful powers, acts that endanger India’s sovereignty, unity, and integrity, the official said.
Other sections mentioned in the FIR deal with attempts to jeopardise national integration, acts promoting enmity or disturbing public harmony, and statements that could lead to public mischief.
The charges are non-bailable and maximum punishment for the offences is 7 years, said police.
This comes a day after the Governor led a “search operation” at the Raj Bhavan premises to counter the MP’s allegation.
The Governor led a team of Kolkata Police officers and central forces, a bomb squad, and even a sniffer dog to find out whether there were arms and ammunition stacked inside the Raj Bhavan. Mediapersons were also present.
Following the “search operation”, the TMC MP had said, “Will anyone keep bombs when he is searching the place? It’s a childish act. His stock before (Union Home Minister) Amit Shah has dropped. Why the CRPF? He should have taken the FBI. The more he does this, the more opportunities we have to act against him. Let him write to the Lok Sabha. There is no discussion in Parliament about Raj Bhavan, but now it will help initiate a discussion on it…I am ready to go to jail 50 times for speaking against someone like him.”
The crisis erupted over the weekend after Governor Bose publicly supported the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls following the BJP-led NDA’s sweep in the Bihar Assembly polls, stressing the need for elections “based on the ballot, not the bullet,” and calling for curbs on alleged violence and corruption in the state.
Soon after, Kalyan Banerjee launched a sharp attack, accusing the Governor of aiding criminals. “First, tell the Governor not to shelter the BJP’s criminals in Raj Bhavan. He is keeping offenders there, giving them guns and bombs, and telling them to attack Trinamool workers. Let him stop this first,” he said, calling Bose an “incompetent governor” and a “BJP-servant Governor.”
Meanwhile, PTI, quoting an unnamed official, said that Governor Bose was likely to file a defamation case against the TMC MP.
“The honourable Governor is set to move the Calcutta High Court to file a defamation case against Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee in connection with his defamatory comments regarding arms and ammunition stacked inside the Governor’s House at Raj Bhavan here,” a Raj Bhavan official told PTI.
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