KOLKATA: The tussle between the Centre and the West Bengal government over the attack on BJP’s national president JP Nadda’s convoy continued as the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Thursday issued an order transferring three Bengal IPS officers to central services ignoring the state’s objection.
Earlier, the state government asked the three officers -- Rajeev Mishra (IG South Bengal), Praveen Tripathi (DIG Presidency Range) and Bholanath Pandey (SP, Diamond Harbour) -- to serve in the central deputation as they were in-charges to oversee Nadda’s security.
In a reply, the state government opposed the Centre’s move and wrote that it would not release the officers.
Reacting to the central government’s order transferring the three officers, CM Mamata Banerjee described the move as an attempt to "encroach upon State’s jurisdiction". Taking to the Twitter, she said, "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. This act is nothing but a deliberate attempt to encroach upon State’s jurisdiction and demoralize the serving officers in WB."
She further tweeted: "This move, particularly before the elections is against the basic tenets of the federal structure. It's unconstitutional and completely unacceptable! We wouldn’t allow this brazen attempt by the Centre to control the State machinery by proxy! West Bengal is not going to cow-down in front of expansionist and undemocratic forces."
In Thursday’s order, Mishra and Tripathi have been transferred to ITBP and SSB respectively for five years and Pandey has been asked to serve in the Police Research Bureau for three years.