'Despite police working relentlessly, those in Delhi keep defaming them'

Kolkata: Giving assurance of extending all support to police personnel if they land up in any trouble while performing their duty, without naming BJP, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday criticised the party in power at the Centre for defaming Bengal by giving political colour to incidents of normal deaths.

"Despite the police working relentlessly, those in Delhi keep defaming them. They cannot get rid of the disease of spreading canards. Even if a person dies after suffering from any disease, they give it a political colour and makes baseless claim that the state witnesses maximum cases of political murder. It is an attempt to show the state in a poor light," Banerjee said after inaugurating the Durga Puja at Alipore Bodyguard Lines. The state Urban Development and Municipal Affairs minister Firhad Hakim and Commissioner of Police Anuj Sharma were present at the inaugural ceremony.

Banerjee's assurance of standing beside police personnel considering it as her own comes when Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar wrote a letter to the Chief Minister in connection with the death of Madan Gharai alias Kalipada Gharai at Patashpur in East Midnapore.

Expressing her gratitude towards Covid warriors including police personnel, Banerjee said: "All of you work relentlessly round the year and maintaining order during Durga Puja depends on the police. But they keep on spreading canards and insult the police without considering their sacrifice for the sake of the society. It is not right at all."

She urged the policemen to work with pride without giving ears to canards as she along with her government will always stand beside them if they land up in any trouble for the sake of their duty.

In the same breath, Banerjee once again urged the police to take all necessary precautionary measures to ensure their own safety while performing their duty at this critical time of Covid. This came when Siddhanta Sekhar Dey, Assistant Sub-Inspector of the Fifth Battallion of Kolkata Armed Police, died due to Covid. She expressed her grief for Dey's death due to the disease on Sunday. She further said that a job is given to the next of the kin of a deceased Covid warrior along with Rs 10 lakh.

In such a situation, Banerjee directed Sharma to ensure all precautionary measures for the rank and file of those performing their duty at the time of Durga Puja.

On the auspicious day of Ditia on Sunday, Banerjee also inaugurated Durga Pujas of Jubo Moitri, Kalighat Sree Sangha, 62 Pally, Bhawanipur 76 Pally, Bhawanipur 75 Pally, Swadhin Sangha, Chakraberia, Paddapukur, Batam Club, Gol Math puja, Abasar, Priyanath Mallick, Bakul Bagan, 22 Pally, Alipore 78 Pally, Alipore Sakalpalli Samithy, Suruchi Sangha, Kolahol and Alipore Sarbojanin.