Kolkata: Amid a high voltage electoral battle in West Bengal, a woman staffer at the Raj Bhavan in Kolkata has alleged that she was ‘inappropriately touched’ by Governor C.V. Ananda Bose — allegations the Raj Bhavan dismissed in a late-night statement, terming it an “engineered narrative”.
The matter came to light Thursday evening after the woman filed a complaint at the Hare Street Police Station. ThePrint has seen a copy of the complaint, in Bangla, addressed to the officer in charge of the police outpost located outside Raj Bhavan premises.
Hours later, the governor said in a statement: “Truth shall triumph. I refuse to be cowed down by engineered narratives. If anybody wants some election benefits by maligning me, God Bless them. But they cannot stop my fight against corruption and violence in Bengal.”
The developments came ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the state during which he is scheduled to stay the night at Raj Bhavan Thursday.
Sources in Kolkata Police told ThePrint that, while a complaint has been received from the woman, the police are yet to register a case against the governor, who is the constitutional head of the state. A meeting is underway to gather legal expertise before proceeding on the complaint, police sources said, adding that the woman’s complaint has been forwarded to the West Bengal Police Headquarters and the state Home Department.
According to reports in the media, the woman — a contractual worker — has been employed with the Raj Bhavan since June 2019 and was staying at the Raj Bhavan hostel.
In her complaint, she alleged that Governor C.V. Ananda Bose first ‘inappropriately touched’ her on 24 April after which he travelled to Kerala, his home state, to cast his vote. It further alleged that, upon his return, the governor ‘inappropriately touched’ her again which prompted her to approach the Kolkata Police outpost inside the Raj Bhavan premises.
Tathagata Roy, former governor of Tripura and Meghalaya, told ThePrint that under section 361 of the Constitution, the Governor enjoys legal immunity, as does the President.
Article 361 reads: “No criminal proceedings whatsoever shall be instituted or continued against the President, or the Governor of a State, in any court during his term of office.”
Sub clause 3 of Article 361 adds that “no process for the arrest or imprisonment of the President, or the Governor of a State, shall issue from any court during his term of office”.
The ruling-Trinamool Congress, which has a long-standing history of differences with the Raj Bhavan, took to social media to term the allegations “appalling and unthinkable”.
“The sanctity of Raj Bhavan, a symbol of our constitutionality, has been tarnished. Hours before PM Narendra Modi was supposed to arrive at Raj Bhavan to spend the night, a woman was allegedly harassed by the Governor under the false pretext of a job. Such despicable behaviour must be condemned in the strongest terms. Justice must be delivered swiftly for the victim — no excuses, no delays,” the party wrote on X.
In April this year, the Raj Bhavan had moved ECI urging it to initiate action against officials from the office of the state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) after a list of names of “gangsters and goons” compiled by the Raj Bhavan for the ongoing polls was leaked to political parties.
“If there is truth in the complaint, then the central government will act but if this is a political vendetta, the TMC will not be spared,” Leader of The Opposition Suvendu Adhikari told the media Thursday.
Late Thursday, Governor Bose issued an order banning the entry of State Finance Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya into the Raj Bhavan. She was among the first to react to the allegations against Bose, stating on X that, “Such behavior is unbecoming of any official, especially the Head of State.”
The statement issued says, “For defamation and anti-constitutional media statements against Hon’ble Governor Dr. C.V. Ananda Bose, a junior gubernatorial appointee Smt. Chandrima Bhattacharya, Minister of State (Independent Charge) Department of Finance, has been banned entry into the Raj Bhavan premises of Kolkata, Darjeeling and Barrackpore. The Hon’ble Governor has also instructed his office that he will not participate in any function attended by the Minister.”
“The Attorney General for India has been contacted for advice on further legal steps against the Minister. Hon’ble Governor also has banned entry of police into Raj Bhavan premises in the guise of conducting unauthorised, illegitimate, sham and motivated ‘investigation’ to placate political bosses during elections,” it adds.
This report has been updated to include a statement from Raj Bhavan.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)