Opposition parties in West Bengal have criticised Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee after a police officer committed suicide in Kolkata last week.
Retired IPS officer Gaurav Chandra Dutt killed himself on February 19 after writing a letter in which he blamed Banerjee and the system for “punishing” him. The 1986 batch IPS officer had retired on December 31, 2018, after being on compulsory leave for nearly 10 years. He was reportedly suspended and sent on leave in 2010 following allegations that he had sexually abused a male constable, ThePrint reported.
“Constant torture and humiliation led me to this drastic step,” the Hindustan Times reported him as saying in the letter to the chief minister. He claimed that Banerjee had a vendetta against him and had victimised and demoralised him. He had also asked the government to drop a case in connection with an alleged financial irregularity.
State Food and Civil Supplies Minister Jyotipriya Mallick rejected the accusations. “This is nonsense,” Mallick told PTI. “There is no substance in it. We are not interested in the matter.”
State president of Bharatiya Janata Party Dilip Ghosh sought a speedy inquiry to “unravel” the truth. “I think there is a conspiracy behind this [Dutt’s death],” Ghosh said. “He has targeted the chief minister. A neutral probe must be initiated. I am sceptical about how much the state police will be able to do because they are under tremendous pressure from the top level. I demand a neutral agency conduct the enquiry.”
Bharatiya Janata Party leader Mukul Roy met Dutt’s family members on Sunday and assured them legal help, according to Patrika. Roy may help Dutt’s wife approach the Supreme Court against Banerjee, according to News18.
The BJP had on Friday demanded an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation in this case. “This is for the first time in the history of West Bengal that a senior IPS officer committed suicide and blamed the government or a party leader,” Roy had said. The BJP had also demanded that a case of abetment should be filed against Banerjee.
BJP National Secretary Rahul Sinha said he would ask the Ministry of Home Affairs to conduct an investigation into why the departmental inquiry against Dutt went on for 10 years. “He was a victim of political vendetta, probably because he could not become a yes-man like many of his colleagues,” claimed Sinha, according to the Hindustan Times.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) also criticised Banerjee. “Imagine a situation, when an IPS officer, who has just retired, has to take such a drastic step,” said Politburo member and MP Mohammad Salim. “I have heard that he hoped his final step would help his wife get the dues. Now in this state only those officers who can be yes-men are favoured. Dutt, somehow, did not learn that art.”
State Congress chief Somen Mitra said: “I feel sorry for his [Dutt] family since political vendetta drove him to depression and then compelled him to take an extreme step.”
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