Molestation charges: Ignore summons by West Bengal Police, says Governor CV Ananda Bose to staff

Tribune News Service

Kolkata, May 5

Maintaining that he enjoyed immunity from trial, West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose has directed all his staffers in Raj Bhavan to ignore any communication from the Kolkata police in connection with a woman employee’s complaint of molestation against him.

CONTROVERSY OVER MOLESTATION CHARGE

• A contractual woman employee of Raj Bhavan has lodged a police complaint alleging molestation by the Governor
• Governor Ananda Bose described the allegation as ‘absurd drama’
• Called it a conspiracy to ‘deter him from his efforts to expose corruption and curb violence’

The direction was issued after the Kolkata police constituted an inquiry team to probe into the woman’s allegation against the Governor. “It is clear that in view of Article 361 (2) and (3) of the Constitution, the state police cannot act in any manner whatsoever to inquire or investigate or set in motion any kind of proceedings against the Governor,” Bose wrote on X. Bose also said no criminal proceedings whatsoever shall be instituted or continued against the President or the Governor of a state in any court during his or her term of office. “No process for the arrest or imprisonment... shall issue from any court during his term of office,” the Governor said in the post, drafted as a message to Raj Bhavan employees.

The state machinery could not set in motion any sort of criminal proceedings, whatsoever, against the Governor, Bose wrote on the microblogging site. “The reports from the media indicate that the police propose to conduct an inquiry into the incident. It is also reported that the investigating team intends to collect the CCTV footage from Raj Bhavan,” Bose wrote.

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