Governor C.V. Ananda Bose Urges Amit Shah for Strict Action Against Chief Secretary and Two Senior Police Officers

Governor C.V. Ananda Bose has reached out to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, recommending strict measures against Chief Secretary B.P. Gopalika and two senior IPS officers, Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Kumar Goyal and Deputy Commissioner of Police, Central Division, Indira Mukherjee.

In two separate letters dated June 6 and June 20, Bose accused these officers of violating the rules that govern All India Services (AIS) officers.

A source from the ministry described the communications as “unprecedented,” noting that they included detailed notes and examples of how the officers allegedly broke AIS conduct rules by acting as “willing accomplices in the misdeeds of the ruling dispensation, in violation of the laws of the land.”

“Governors do send reports to the Centre, but I haven’t seen anything like this in over 20 years of service. It is unprecedented,” said the source, who is familiar with the developments following Bose’s letter to Shah dated June 20.

In his June 6 letter, Bose wrote: “The conduct of a senior member of the Indian Administrative Service, currently serving as the Chief Secretary to the Government of West Bengal, and two officers of the Indian Police Service, working as the Commissioner of Police, Kolkata, and the Deputy Commissioner, Central Division, Kolkata, clearly shows how these officers have been blatantly violating the provisions of the Constitution and the Conduct Rules. If no action is taken against these erring officers, it could send a wrong signal down the line, resulting in further deterioration of the Services and consequently harming the interests of the Nation.”

The governor accused Gopalika of “aiding and abetting corruption” and breaking AIS rules. He mentioned issues related to jobs, recruitment of vice-chancellors, and alleged lawlessness in the state.

The June 20 letter contains allegations against Goyal and Mukherjee, who have been involved in investigating sexual misconduct allegations against the governor.

Bose’s letters have surfaced amid speculation about his possible removal from Bengal. Various factors have been cited, including reservations about Bose among some state BJP leaders and the general trend of reshuffling Raj Bhavan after a new regime takes office in Delhi.

“The bureaucratic follow-up action to his letters has begun, so it is immaterial whether he stays on or not,” a source said.

Bose became the governor of Bengal on November 22, 2022, and has had a tumultuous tenure. He started on a positive note with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who even presided over a function where the governor was introduced to Bengali alphabets. However, their relationship soured due to his alleged “hyper activism” at the behest of the saffron camp.

Over the past 16 months, he has had several conflicts with the Trinamool Congress, which accused him of being a puppet of the Centre. The party also went all out against him after allegations of sexual harassment by a Raj Bhavan staff member (in May 2024) and by a dancer (in January 2023) came to light.

Although Bose listed several alleged misdeeds of the two top cops in the June 20 letter, the contents of the communication to Shah made it clear that the governor was trying to clear his name from the sexual allegations, which he had earlier called a “sinister plot.”

Bose accused the two officers of maligning him with false cases.

In his communication, Bose referred to Goyal and Mukherjee as “delinquent” and accused them of “flouting the Constitution and the law of the land” and of “objectionable conduct against the constitutional head of the state.” He sought “exemplary action” against them to “set the house in order.”

“The ministry is taking the letters seriously and will seek an explanation from the state government based on what the governor has written,” the source added.

The note accompanying the June 20 letter raises several broad issues about the perceived state of affairs in Bengal, such as how the police are serving political masters, how governance lacks “democratic proprieties,” and the alleged repression of any opposition to the ruling dispensation. It also underscores the rules that the officers are supposed to follow.

In the note against Goyal, Bose mentioned how the police had detained some victims of post-poll violence while they were on their way to Raj Bhavan for a pre-scheduled meeting with him. “This is a blatant infringement on the rights of people to voice their concerns and seek redressal,” he wrote.

The other part of the note, titled “highlighting and promoting concocted cases against Raj Bhavan establishment,” is more detailed. Bose accused Goyal of filing a criminal complaint against him by a temporary Raj Bhavan employee on May 2, 2024, just hours before Prime Minister Narendra Modi was scheduled to arrive there.

Bose added that the city police commissioner formed a special investigation team “with indecent haste,” despite knowing that “Article 361 of the Constitution of India bars the institution/continuance of any criminal proceedings against the constitutional head of the state.”

“Goyal, through his malicious, illegal, and unconstitutional acts, has not only maligned the office of the governor but also acted in a manner completely unbecoming of a public servant,” he wrote.

The allegations against Mukherjee, who is heading the SIT probing the charges against Bose, are similar, except for the specific allegation that the IPS officer spoke to the media about the claims with “added color and flavor.”

In the June 6 letter, Bose said he was “constrained to point out that in West Bengal, sections of both the Police and the Administration are vigorously serving political masters in complete disregard of their lawful obligations.”

“The Police are acting as a private force, and the administration is functioning in political captivity. Governance lacks all democratic proprieties, and authoritarianism is evident in the repression of any opposition to the ruling dispensation,” he wrote.

“Certain officers of the Indian Administrative Service and the Indian Police Service posted in the State of West Bengal have shown no regard for the Constitution and are perpetually flouting it with impunity. They have turned out to be silent executors of the malicious decisions taken by the ruling party,” Bose added.

The sexual harassment case — no charges could be drawn up against Bose because of the constitutional immunity the governor enjoys — reached the legal corridors with three Raj Bhavan employees — an officer on special duty, a woman staffer in the pantry, and a peon of Raj Bhavan — moving Calcutta High Court to seek anticipatory bail and pleading for quashing an FIR against them for “wrongful restraint” of the junior employee who had brought charges of physical harassment against the governor.

Hearing the case, Justice Amrita Sinha of Calcutta High Court on May 25 stayed the police investigation against the three Raj Bhavan staffers until June 17 and directed the police to submit a report on their investigation on June 10, the day the court reopened after a 15-day summer break. However, the case is yet to come up for hearing.

Defamation Case

The defamation case filed by Bose against Mamata is likely to be heard on Wednesday before the court of Justice Krishna Rao. The governor, in his petition, has alleged that the chief minister and a few ruling party leaders had made false accusations of molestation against him to tarnish his image.

Advocate Dhiraj Trivedi on Tuesday moved a plea before Justice Rao seeking an early hearing of the defamation case. “The chief minister and his fellow leaders have been regularly maligning the image of the governor. This should be stopped immediately. So hear the case urgently,” the lawyer said.

The judge assured the lawyer that he would try to hear the case on Wednesday.