Bengal Chief Secy, DGP not to appear before LS privileges panel today

Kolkata, Feb 19 (IANS) West Bengal Chief Secretary B.P. Gopalika and the acting Director General of State Police Rajeev Kumar, who had to appear before the Privileges Committee of Lok Sabha on Monday and give explanations for the recent attack on state BJP chief and MP Sukanta Majumdar, have decided to ignore the summons.

However, the state government sources said that a letter has been sent from the state secretariat of Nabanna to the office of the Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla with the plea for postponing the date of appearing before the Privilege Committee.

However, it is yet to be clear whether one other IAS officer and two other IPS officers, who were also supposed to be present before the Privileges Committee on Monday, will be going there or not.

State government sources said that considering that the full bench of the Election Commission of India (ECI) will be coming to West Bengal to review poll preparations, the chief secretary and state police director general will be busy with the task of preparedness for that purpose and hence they need some time to be present before the committee.

Besides Gopalika and Kumar, North 24 Parganas District Magistrate Sharad Kumar Dwivedi and Basirhat Police District Superintendent Hossain Mehdi Rehman and Additional Superintendent Partha Ghosh were also supposed to be present before the Privilege Committee on Monday.

Last Wednesday, Majumdar fell ill in the midst of the scuffle between the cops and BJP supporters who were protesting against the alleged sexual harassment of women in Sandeshkhali. Majumdar had to be hospitalised also.

Taking cognizance of this, the privileges committee summoned two IAS and three IPS officers for questioning. On the basis of the complaint from Majumdar, the Lok Sabha Speaker directed the Union ministry of home affairs to review the situation.