Kolkata: The woman who has alleged she was sexually harassed by West Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose has said that the latter is “scared now and hiding behind immunity”. Speaking to ThePrint, she asked, “If he is that innocent, why is he threatening all the staff of Raj Bhavan? Why is he escaping investigation?”
This comes after the governor, in a post on X Sunday, directed the staff of Raj Bhavan to ignore any communication from the Kolkata Police regarding the complaint against him. In a two-page directive posted on the Raj Bhavan’s X account Sunday, the governor cited Article 361 of the Constitution, which provides legal immunity to the President of India and governors of states from any criminal investigation while in office.
The order read, “All staff/employees including part time, temporary, DRW or those engaged in Raj Bhavan in any manner are hereby directed to ignore any communication from the police in this respect and refrain from giving any statement online, offline, in person, over phone or in any other manner. This will take immediate effect.”
— Raj Bhavan Kolkata (@BengalGovernor) May 5, 2024
This, however, has not deterred the complainant. Speaking to ThePrint, the 29-year-old woman said that she could never go back to Raj Bhavan to work again. “I am fighting against a monster molester. An ordinary lady like me is no match to a governor. But see, even the ‘monster’ is scared now and hiding behind immunity.” she said.
Recalling the events on two separate occasions mentioned in her complaint letter to Raj Bhavan’s officer-in-charge on 2 May, she said, “On 24 April, he (Bose) touched my body very inappropriately and forcefully hugged me. He touched some parts of my body forcefully. Even after he sensed that I was feeling uncomfortable, he forced himself again.”
On 2 May, the complainant alleged, she found herself in a similar situation, “I did not allow him to touch me as he tried to forcefully hug me. He made indecent proposals to me. ADC Joshi sir told me to go home. I asked him, crying, whether he would have said the same if his wife would have been in my place. He left. OSD Sandeep Rajput actively tried to stop me from speaking out about the incidents. My mobile was snatched on his instruction. He tried to confine me in one room and told the staff not to help me.”
The complainant has recorded her statement before the Kolkata Police and is currently staying with her parents. “Mentally, my parents are shattered. They have to face questions every day from their neighbours and relatives. They are old and come from a simple rural setup. They couldn’t have imagined that at this age, they would have to face such an ordeal due to their daughter,” she told ThePrint.
She also recollected how she was praised by the governor publicly for her sincere work. She went on to say, however, that she could not carry on now. “I cannot work under a monster molester. The supervisor is a permanent staff member, he will follow what the governor says, and I know no one will stand up for me,” she added.
A detailed questionnaire has been sent to the governor asking for his response to the allegations. ThePrint has received a one-line reply that the email had been received and was being examined. This report will be updated if a response is received from the governor, who is currently in his hometown in Kerala.
ThePrint also reached the supervisor at Raj Bhavan, Munna Chowdhury, via calls and text message for a comment, but received no response.
Police investigation
Meanwhile, Kolkata Police have formed a special investigation team to probe the allegations against the governor. The police served notices to four employees of Raj Bhavan to depose Sunday, but none of them joined the investigation.
Speaking to ThePrint, Indira Mukherjee, deputy commissioner — central, who is leading the enquiry, said, “We have been very busy with election duties, but the enquiry has not stopped.” When asked if the police were likely to serve fresh notices to Raj Bhavan staff in the wake of the governor’s order, the DCP said that she wasn’t aware of the directive posted by him on social media.
The governor has already banned the entry of Kolkata Police personnel to the premises of Raj Bhavan. The police have not registered any FIR in the case so far.
(Edited by Mannat Chugh)
Also Read: ‘Engineered narrative, more in the offing,’ says Bengal Governor after sexual harassment allegations