On sexual harassment charges, Bengal Guv decides to show CCTV footage to public but 'not CM or cops'
Kolkata/IBNS: Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose, who is facing sexual harassment allegations, Wednesday declared that he would allow the public to see the video footage of the concerned day "but not Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee or her police".
The Raj Bhavan handle on X posted a statement titled "Sach ke Saamne Programme" that said the Governor has launched the programme to counter "mischievous and fabricated allegations by the police" that the Raj Bhavan is not sparing the footage.
The Governor has now decided that the footage will be placed in public domain and will be shown to the first 100 people who wish to see it.
They will be given access to the footage at the Raj Bhavan. The people will be picked from among those who apply to see the same via e-mail or through phone call, the statement added.
— Raj Bhavan Kolkata (@BengalGovernor) May 8, 2024
On May 2, a female staff working with Kolkata's Raj Bhavan levelled serious allegations of molestation against CV Ananda Bose.
Responding to the charges, Bose's office called the allegations an "engineered narrative".
"If anybody wants some election benefits by maligning me, God Bless them. But they cannot stop my fight against corruption and violence in Bengal," the statement added.
The lady had also filed a complaint with Hare Street Police Station stating that she had been allegedly molested by the Governor twice.
However, Article 361 of the Indian Constitution grants immunity to the President and governors form any criminal proceedings during their terms in office.
The Raj Bhavan has denied entry to the police and state finance minister Chandrima Bhattacharya.
The police were not provided with CCTV footage of the day concerned.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had earlier attacked the Governor as well as PM Modi and his Bharatiya Janata party for remaining quiet about the incident amid the Lok Sabha elections.