Kolkata: In what has stumped the BJP amid the Lok Sabha Election in West Bengal, a woman accused Governor C.V. Ananda Bose of molesting her at Raj Bhavan on Thursday hours before Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached the governor’s house to spend the night for his poll campaign in three districts on Friday
The victim, working on contract since 2019 at Raj Bhavan, also stays at an accommodation there. She lodged a complaint at the Hare Street police station in the evening, alleging that the Governor outraged her modesty on the pretext of making her job permanent with a promotion.
According to the complaint, the woman was called by Bose to his chamber last week for a meeting after her transfer from a department to another recently. She, however, left the chamber after feeling uncomfortable by his behaviour.
On Thursday, the woman was again called by the Governor to his chamber. This time, she took her colleague who was, however, asked to leave the chamber. The victim claimed that the Governor behaved with her indecently. She rushed out crying and reached the police outpost.
Lashing out at Bose, TMC posted on ‘X’ handle, “Appalling and unthinkable! The sanctity of Raj Bhavan, a symbol of our constitutionality, has been tarnished. Hours before PM Narendra Modi was supposed to arrive at Raj Bhavan to spend the night, a woman was allegedly molested by the Governor under the false pretext of a job. Such despicable behaviour must be condemned in the strongest terms. Justice must be delivered swiftly for the victim – no excuses, no delays!”
Bose, however, said, “Truth shall triumph. I refuse to be cowed down by engineered narratives. If anybody wants some election benefits by maligning me, God Bless them. But they cannot stop my fight against corruption and violence in Bengal.”
According to Raj Bhavan sources, some derogatory narratives were circulated by two disgruntled employees as agents of political parties but other staff expressed solidarity with the governor.
Raj Bhavan in a communiqué later barred entry to minister of state for finance Chandrima Bhattacharya citing “defamation and anti-constitutional media statements.”
It added that the Governor would not participate in any function attended by the minister, and that the Attorney General had been contacted for advice on further legal steps against the minister.
