Molestation Complaint: Bengal Governor Directs Raj Bhawan Staff To Ignore Communications From Kolkata Police

West Bengal Governor's notification comes in the wake of the development that a SIT) of Kolkata Police, formed to probe the alleged accusations against the Governor, has sought CCTV footage of the Raj Bhavan.

West Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose directed Raj Bhavan's temporary and permanent staff members on Sunday to ignore any communication from the state police regarding a recent complaint of outraging a woman's modesty filed against him by a temporary staffer. Staff members have also been directed to "refrain from giving any statement online, offline, in person, over the phone, or in any other manner" according to a notification shared on Raj Bhavan's X handle.

It specifically states that under Article 361(2) and (3) of the Constitution, the state police cannot investigate any proceedings against a Governor while he is in office. The notification follows the revelation that a special investigation team (SIT) of the Kolkata Police, formed to investigate the alleged accusations against the Governor, has requested CCTV footage from the Raj Bhavan.

On Saturday, the Kolkata Police sought the footage from the officer in charge of the police outpost within the Raj Bhavan. It has also been revealed that the SIT will speak with witnesses regarding the complaint. Since the beginning of the controversy, the Governor has vehemently denied the accusations levelled against him.

The governor released an audio message on Friday, a day after the female staffer's police complaint was filed, alleging that another person had been planted at Raj Bhavan "with sinister intent by certain political forces". In addition, he asserted that "these were just election ploys" and that the issue was being investigated by the relevant authorities. The Governor also cautioned the Raj Bhavan staff in the audio message.