"Law Is Above You": Bengal Governor vs Mamata Banerjee Over Poll Violence

West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose today questioned why the police had stopped alleged victims of post-poll violence from entering the Raj Bhavan despite his office issuing the necessary permission for it.

"Unpardonable act that government prevented victims of violence from meeting the Governor," Mr Bose said at a press conference in Kolkata today.

"The (Bengal) Chief Minister cannot deface the constitution of India. It is a dance of death, a macabre of what is happening in West Bengal. However high you may think you are, the law is above you," he added, targeting West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

He has also written a letter to Ms Banerjee seeking clarification on the grounds upon which the police barred these individuals from meeting him.

Mr Bose also visited Maheshwari Bhawan in Burrabazar and met people affected by violence in the state after the Lok Sabha elections. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has levelled allegations of post-poll violence against the Trinamool Congress (TMC), which the state's ruling party has denied.

The police on Thursday prevented BJP member and Leader of the Opposition in the assembly Suvendu Adhikari and the alleged victims of post-poll violence from entering the Raj Bhavan to meet Bose, citing Section 144 of the CrPC, which is in force outside the Governor House.

In his letter to the Chief Minister, Governor Bose underscored the importance of adhering to constitutional protocols, particularly in matters concerning governance and legislation. He called upon the state government to provide explanations for its actions and urged against any attempts to undermine the authority of his office.