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Amid serious sexual harassment allegations, West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose has issued a directive to all staff members of Raj Bhavan to disregard summons or any other communication from the Special Enquiry Team (SET) of Kolkata Police. This directive is based on the immunity provided to the Governor under Article 361 of the Constitution, which prohibits inquiries against the Governor.
The directive from Governor Bose came after the Kolkata Police requested three Raj Bhavan personnel to facilitate an inquiry into the allegations. However, no employee from the Raj Bhavan turned up, and the requested CCTV footage is yet to be received.
The allegations were made by an employee of Raj Bhavan, who alleged that she was sexually harassed by Governor Bose. The Kolkata Police has registered a complaint in the matter but has not named the Governor, who enjoys constitutional immunity.
Raj Bhavan has denied the allegations and termed it an "engineered narrative." The entry of Kolkata Police and West Bengal minister Chandrima Bhattacharya has also been banned from Raj Bhavan.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has strongly condemned the Governor's actions and linked the issue to the Sandeshkhali incident, where a minor girl was allegedly gang-raped.
The Governor's refusal to cooperate with the police investigation has raised questions about his accountability and the effectiveness of Article 361 in protecting public officials from inquiries into misconduct allegations.