Union Home Secy cannot summon state CS, DGP: TMC

Kolkata: The Union Home Secretary has no authority to summon the state Chief Secretary and Director General of Police to discuss the state's law and order situation in Delhi, said Kalyan Banerjee, TMC MP and senior counsel in the Supreme Court, on Friday.

He also alleged that flouting all norms, 50 motorcyclists and cars had accompanied J P Nadda, BJP national president, during his visit to Diamond Harbour on Thursday. In the team was one Rakesh Singh against whom 69 criminal cases have been pending and during the journey, he made obscene gestures at Trinamool Congress supporters who had been shouting slogans on a podium. He provoked the crowd. "How could Nadda take someone with him who has criminal cases against him," he asked.

"Law and order is a state subject under the 7th Schedule of the Indian Constitution and no Central government officer has any authority to call a senior bureaucrat and a senior police officer to discuss the law and order situation in Delhi. If the matter needs to be discussed at all then the platform is the state Assembly," he maintained. Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla has called Chief Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay and Director General of Police Virendra to discuss the law and order situation in Delhi on December 14, Banerjee said while addressing a press conference at Trinamool Bhavan on Friday afternoon.

He further said as Nadda gets Z category security, a pilot car and a bullet-proof car were provided on Thursday along with the state police and CRPF personnel. As per the rule, no car or motorcycle is allowed in the convoy of such a person.

"In between the pilot car and Nadda's vehicles, there were bikes carrying BJP supporters and many non-government vehicles were seen behind his car. He has flouted the norms clearly," Banerjee alleged, adding that "no untoward incident took place in Diamond Harbour. Three cases have been registered in connection with Thursday's incident of which one was against Rakesh Singh while two others were registered at Usti and Palta police stations. Fourteen people have been arrested in connection with the trouble that broke out on Thursday."

Banerjee said eight additional Superintendents of Police, eight Deputy Superintendents of Police, 30 Inspectors, 40 RAF personnel, 150 constables and 350 civic volunteers were deployed to maintain law and order.