Kolkata: The West Bengal government on Wednesday replaced the personal security officers (PSOs) assigned to former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for nearly two decades, but Banerjee declined to accept the new personnel, her party said.
Trinamool Congress alleged that Banerjee was left without official security at her Kalighat residence and said the party arranged for two private security guards. The state’s directorate of security, which oversees protection for Banerjee, a Z-plus protectee, did not immediately comment.
The issue came to light after Trinamool MP Derek O’Brien said in a social media post late on Wednesday that Banerjee’s PSOs had been withdrawn and that there was no security deployment at her residence on Harish Chatterjee Street. O’Brien said he parked his vehicle outside the residence and would remain there overnight to prevent any unauthorised entry.
According to sources familiar with the matter, five PSOs assigned to Banerjee had been with her since her tenure as India’s railway minister. The officers, originally from the Railway Protection Force (RPF), were absorbed into the state police setup after she became chief minister in 2011. The sources said the officers were recently directed to return to their parent units and Kolkata Police sent three replacement personnel. Banerjee declined to accept them, they added.
Security arrangements around Banerjee’s residence have been scaled back since the change of government, including the removal of barricades on Harish Chatterjee Street. The entrance to the residence, however, had continued to be guarded. Videos shared by O’Brien late on Wednesday appeared to show no police personnel at the entrance. Bengal Police had not issued any statement on the matter at the time of publication.
