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The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has written to the President Droupadi Murmu, and the West Bengal Governor RN Ravi seeking urgent appointments for a party delegation to discuss what it described as the "disturbing and systematic misuse" of the police and the deteriorating law-and-order situation in the state following an alleged attack on its Camac Street office.
Speaking to reporters, TMC MP Derek O'Brien said the letters were sent on Thursday morning and sought separate meetings with the President in Delhi and the West Bengal Governor in Kolkata. "In this situation, we've written to the President of India, and the Trinamool Congress has written to the Governor of West Bengal President and the Governor seeking an urgent appointment of a Trinamool Congress delegation to discuss the disturbing situation in Bengal," O'Brien said. The TMC leader alleged that the situation had deteriorated over the past four months, with party workers being targeted and offices allegedly vandalised. "What happened this morning was open lawlessness. Look at the video footage from 4:30 in the morning. For 4 months, this has gone from bad to worse. TMC workers are being targeted by the police across the state. Party offices are being vandalised," he said. O'Brien further accused the police of acting outside established rules and alleged political bias in their functioning. "Police are following no rules. Police are acting as open... as BJP cadres. There is utter lawlessness here," he alleged. The remarks came after TMC national general secretary and MP Abhishek Banerjee alleged that BJP workers armed with weapons stormed the party's Camac Street office in Kolkata in the early hours of Thursday and vandalised the premises, assaulted staff and damaged electronic equipment. Banerjee alleged that Kolkata Police failed to respond for nearly two hours despite repeated calls and emails from party workers and lawyers. He described the incident as an "open defiance of the rule of law" and demanded the arrest of those responsible. TMC IT Cell in-charge Upashna Chaudhary also alleged that BJP workers attacked security guards and vandalised the office around 3:30 am. She claimed the party had CCTV footage of the incident and said an FIR would be filed. The allegations come days after West Bengal Police registered an FIR against Banerjee, O'Brien and others over alleged obstruction and assault of police personnel during the removal of an allegedly unauthorised hoarding at 9, Camac Street. O'Brien said the party was awaiting responses from the President and Governor. "A Trinamool Congress delegation wants to meet the President in Delhi and the West Bengal Governor in Kolkata. We are awaiting their reply," he said. (ANI)
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