Mamata?s Great Fall

Mamata Banerjee went to file her nomination with a large group of police personnel. BJP complained to ECI stating undue usage of the State police for personal cause. While the Chief Minister has to be accompanied by a scheduled number of Security Personnel as per protocol, it couldn’t include scores of policemen that BJP had complained of. The prime opposition party of West Bengal is also known to have appealed for suspension of two senior IPSs namely Vivek Sahay and Gyanwant Singh. They added it was the State Police in Civil Dress who’re conducting Mamata Banerjee’s election propaganda in Nandigram, threatening people of dire consequences if they voted ‘elsewhere’.

 

It’s a familiar fact that a large section of State’s IPSs are like kith and kin of West Bengal CM. She casually calls them by their first names even in State administrative meetings. Gyanwant Singh is an IPS whose loyalty and humble submission to TMC supremo is unquestionable. Blowing wind of the State whispers aloud that not Trinamool Congress members but such IPSs form her real strength in Bengal. Did BJP’s appeal to EC for suspension of these top cops got Mamata nervous? If her blue-eyed babus and policemen are made defunct in the poll phases, she knows, she’d lose the poll even before it starts. There’s no reason, hence, not to speculate that Mamata Banerjee fell down at Nandigram out of destabilising anxiety. Babus are pillars of Bengal’s feudal rule under the veil of democracy. Did anyone forget she sat on a dharna antagonising CBI probe against another of her blue-eyed IPSs, Rajiv Kumar?

 

BJP leader Union Home Minister Amit Shah has often stated that Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal has criminalised politics, politicised administration and institutionalised corruption. While Shri Amit Shah has taken name of only Mamata Banerjee, he knows that running the parallel crime-Economy of Bengal was impossible without active support of police and bureaucrats of Bengal. Babushere used to regularly visit CPI(M) party office at Alimuddin Street during Mamata’s era. Dancing to the tune of ruling party suits, Bengal’s bureaucrats perhaps took colossal amounts of bribes. Such claims may be corroborated with recent feedback from CBI sources on February 26 after they raided multiple properties of a Kolkata businessman in connection with coal scam. CBI sources informed ANI that many bureaucrats and politicians allegedly received bribe through this businessman. In Mamata’s era, a few top brass bureaucrats have taken complete control of the entire State administration. A handful of bureaucrats, by keeping the key person happy, grossly violated the spirit of Indian Constitution and facilitated crime-economy’s steady prosperity. The Governor of West Bengal, Shri Jagdeep Dhankar, had repeatedly put up such issues in public domain through his tweets. Would these bureaucrats face the wrath of law?

 

The ecosystem runs smoothly in the present era. Change in power-corridor is expected to change lives of babus in a way which they aren’t looking for. A couple of babus of the State’s Finance Department would be answerable for all defalcations of Government Treasury in last 10 years once the CAG audit starts. No special talent is needed to guess that babus are expected to operate in favour of Mamata Banerjee’s party in coming election unless they have already been caught on the wrong foot by GOI.

 

 

One babu is allegedly one of the core beneficiaries of coal scam of Bengal and custodian of controlling string of the whole ecosystem. After Babul Supriyo became MP from Asansol, people expected him to crack the might of this bureaucrat. However, Asansol MP was perhaps too weak to outsmart him. The bureaucrat is known to have amassed astronomical wealth sufficient for few generations of his family. However, extraordinary merit and stupendous bureaucratic expertise makes him a deep water fish. Bengal hardly finds this babu addressing the media or signing government notifications. Without coming to the fore, he works continuously supplying cerebral inputs that apparently helps the ruling party but are caustic to Bengal.

 

 

Post TMC-goons’ attack on JP Nadda’s rally in Diamond Harbour, South 24 Parganas on December 10, 2020, MHA sent three West Bengal cadre IPS men namely Bholanath Pandey (SP, Diamond Harbour), Praveen Tripathi (DIG, Presidency Range) and Rajeev Mishra (ADG, South Bengal) on Central deputation. West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee refused to release them from State duty and appealed to Supreme Court challenging MHA’s call. Supreme Court outright dismissed the State Government’s appeal. Why West Bengal CM might have refused to release them may be corroborated with Praveen Tripathi’s past record.

 

Change in power-corridor is expected to change lives of babus in a way which they aren’t looking for. A couple of babusof the State’s Finance Department would be answerable for all defalcations of Government Treasury in last 10 years once CAG process audit starts 

Not many people have forgotten Punam Kumari Das alias Guria’smissing case. The minor Dalit girl was missing since June 10, 2017 (FIR No.132 dated 10/06/17 of Garden Reach PS under section 363 of IPC) who was daughter of Vinod Das, a poor conservancy staff of Kolkata Corporation. After an eight-month’s discourse, Kolkata Police confessed to the Calcutta High Court on February 16, 2018 that they were incapable to rescue Guria claiming it was impossible for them to raid Metiaburuz, an Assembly Constituency in South 24 Parganas. This incident showcased how a rogue administration could leave judiciary toothless and turn Human Rights null and void. While demand for Guria’s rescue stormed social media, it was the then Joint Commissioner (Crime) Praveen Tripathi who intervened on behalf of Kolkata Police to gag public dissent. On April 17, 2018, Praveen Tripathi tweeted “A false rumour being spread on social media about a missing minor girl held captive in a Metiabruz house and police being afraid of raiding house. Don’t believe in rumours being spread to create communal tension. All indulged in spreading rumour would be severely dealt with.” West Bengal Police has mastered the art of gagging people’s voice of protest. They arrest dissenters on Social Media and confiscate their cellphones, sim cards not to return. There are uncountable examples of State Police speaking and tweeting like politicians. Policemen like PaveenTripathi are pillars of feudal rule. No wonder Mamata Banerjee didn’t want to release him from State duty.

 

 

By tradition, West Bengal Police and babus have remained twistable for reasons as discussed above. DG Virendra, who had been replaced on March 9 by DG, IGP P Nirajnayan, was known for his superlative loyalty to ruling party. P Nirajnayan was posted as DG IGP, Police Administration. However, the babuwho operates the control-panel of all such officers like DG and ADG sits even higher up. MHA must be aware.