Bengal to take up Banga Bhavan issue with Centre

After Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee accused the Del=hi and Gujarat police on Monday of barging into Banga Bhavan (the state Guest house in New Delhi) without any prior intimation and seizing various documents, the state government is now set to take up the issue with the Centre raising its objection to the incident.

Sources said that the state government is sending a letter to the Union Home Ministry stating the incident.

It was also alleged that Gujarat police had seized various documents from Banga Bhavan, including hard discs, but they were not mentioned in the seizure list.

As the Gujarat police had barged into Banga Bhavan along with Delhi police without any prior permission, it was an attack on the federal structure of the constitution. Delhi Police comes under the Union Home ministry.

Gujarat police along with Delhi cops barged into Banga Bhawan last Saturday and allegedly took away CCTV footage.

“Gujarat Police, along with Delhi Police, illegally took away all CCTV camera footage from Banga Bhavan on Saturday. The Governor, Calcutta HC chief justice and judges stay there (when in Delhi),” Banerjee said from a rally in Murshidabad’s Sagardighi on Monday.

Referring to Trinamool Congress spokesperson Saket Gokhale’s arrest from Banga Bhavan a few weeks ago, the TMC supremo had said that one of her party workers, who does social work, was wrongfully arrested by Gujarat Police from Banga Bhavan. He was going to Rajasthan. He was arrested again even after being released on bail,” she said.

Banerjee had also asked state chief secretary HK Dwivedi to make sure that no one enters Banga Bhavan without permission. She had also urged to “take legal action”

if anybody enters it without prior permission.