Mamata fumes over MHA summons to IPS officers, says Centre crossing limits
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has reacted to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA)'s summons to three IPS officers for central deputation
A fuming Mamata Banerjee, the chief minister of West Bengal on Thursday (December 17) dubbed the Centre’s summons to three IPS officers from the state for central deputation, a “brazen” misuse of power and attempt to encroach on the state’s jurisdiction.
Following the attack on BJP chief JP Nadda’s convoy in West Bengal’s Diamond Harbour district on December 10, the Ministry of Home Affairs had summoned three IPS officers – Bholanath Pandey, Rajeev Mishra and Praveen Tripathi – who were responsible Nadda’s security, for new postings.
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While the state government refused to send them, the MHA in a fresh letter cited Section 6 (1) of IPS cadre rules, urging the state government to relieve the officers as soon as possible.
A senior officer in the state home department had said the state government had refused to relieve the officers due to a shortage of IPS ranked officers in the state.
Banerjee in a series of tweets called the Centre’s latest summons a “blatant misuse of emergency provision of IPS Cadre Rule 1954.”
“GoI’s order of central deputation for the 3 serving IPS officers of West Bengal despite the State’s objection is a colourable exercise of power and blatant misuse of emergency provision of IPS Cadre Rule 1954,” she tweeted.
“This act is nothing but a deliberate attempt to encroach upon State’s jurisdiction and demoralize the serving officers in West Bengal. This move, particularly before the elections is against the basic tenets of the federal structure. It’s unconstitutional and completely unacceptable,” she said in another tweet.
The chief minister added that her government will not be cowed down “in front of expansionist and undemocratic forces.”
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MHA officials said that the West Bengal government and the DGP failed to cooperate with the Centre. On December 11, MHA asked the three IPS officers to be sent for central deputation for five years.
All three IPS officers have been given responsibilities by the centre–Bholanath Pandey has been posted as SP BPRD, Praveen Tripathi as DIG – Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), and Rajeev Mishra as IG ITBP.
