Row over Bengal cops ‘snooping’ on Raj Bhavan

CRPF troopers will replace officers of Kolkata Police in the office and residential sections of the Raj Bhavan, with the union home ministry clearing the move following a complaint that the state cops were conducting surveillance on Bengal governor CV Ananda Bose’s activities. The shuffle is the latest turn in an ongoing tussle between the TMC government and Bose, who has also sought the replacement of his principal secretary, Nandini Chakraborty, a state IAS officer. Kolkata police will now only guard the gates and the gardens of the complex. Sources at Raj Bhavan said two cops had recently entered the residential area on the first floor, outside their place of duty. TMC Rajya Sabha MP Santanu Sen accused Bose of turning the Raj Bhavan into a BJP office. CPM leader Sujan Chakraborty said, “ (the governor) is not the first person to have sought central forces. Mamata relied on central forces when she was the railway minister.”