Trinamool Congress says ‘Governor maligned Bengal’; Raj Bhavan mulls legal action against Chandrima Bhattacharya

Kolkata: A day after Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader and minister Chandrima Bhattacharya accused Governor C V Ananda Bose of turning the ‘Peace Room’ in Raj Bhavan into Peace Haven (a city-based mortuary) of women’s respect, the Governor’s office has informed it is consulting the Attorney General for legal action against Bhattacharya.

On Thursday, Raj Bhavan banned the entry of Bhattacharya. On Friday, a statement from the Governor’s office read: “The Attorney General for India has been contacted for advice on further legal steps against the Minister for her defamatory and anti-constitutional media statements.”

Bhattacharya said she cannot be intimidated and that Raj Bhavan has no right to ban her entry. She said she has a sound understanding of law and will take necessary action.

TMC leader Shashi Panja said: “Governor is in arrogance mode and banned our Finance minister from entering Raj Bhavan. Did he ever think that we were willing to go there? After this allegation, are we ready to enter that place? Ask us first.”

Since PM Modi was supposed to stay at Raj Bhavan on Thursday night, she questioned: “I want to know where did the PM stay last night? Why did he not utter a single word on the molestation allegations against the Governor? Raj Bhavan has also banned the entry of police into its premises “in the guise of conducting unauthorised, illegitimate, sham and motivated investigation to placate political bosses during elections”.

DC Central, Kolkata Police, Indira Mukherjee told the media that a complaint was received at 5 pm at Raj Bhavan outpost on Thursday where a woman who is a Raj Bhavan staff alleged sexual harassment against the Governor. Mukherjee said the complaint was forwarded to Hare Street police station. “We have initiated an inquiry. Since this kind of complaint is a sensitive matter. We are consulting our law department and constitutional experts. It is part of our inquiry. We know when the incident happened but we will not share it now,” she said. Asked if she spoke to the officer on special duty (OSD) of the Governor, she said: “Our inquiry has not reached that level yet”.

Meanwhile, Kolkata Police has constituted an eight-member Special Enquiry Team (SET) to conduct an enquiry about the alleged molestation. Cops on Friday reportedly went to Ran Bhavan and talked with some of the employees. The Governor, in a message said: “Dear members of the Raj Bhavan staff.

I welcome all generous allegations and the frequent innuendos passed on me by a political force. I understand there is more in the offing. But one thing is clear. None of the absurd dramas is going to deter me from a determined effort to expose corruption and curb violence. Character assassination is the last resort of a failing malevolence. Those who engineer these filthy narratives have a totally moribund character...”

The complainant informed the Raj Bhavan OC on Thursday that she resides in the Raj Bhavan quarters and is a contractual staff there.

She alleged that on April 19 the Governor asked her to meet him with a resume and on April 24, she met him in the afternoon. It is then that the Governor allegedly made a lewd proposal and even touched her. She alleged she somehow managed to avoid that.

She also alleged she was again called on May 2 when she decided to go along with the supervisor but the Governor asked the supervisor to leave the conference room. He allegedly told the victim he will call her at night but when she refused, he misbehaved with her.