IPS officer blames Mamata in suicide note, TMC claims charge baseless
Kolkata, Feb 25: A retired IPS officer, who allegedly committed suicide last week, blamed West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for his death, a charge dismissed by the state's ruling TMC as "baseless".
In a 6-page letter to the chief minister, Gaurav Chandra Dutt, who retired earlier this year, accused her of abetting his suicide by keeping him "compulsory waiting" for posting.
The 1986 batch IPS officer also alleged he was "harassed and tortured in devious ways" by various state institutions at the behest of the chief minister.
"Thus a self imposed death sentence by me should give you peace of mind, happiness and contentment and may this act result in sinful reactions which will cleanse you and awaken in other senior police officers some compassion and empathy which is sadly lacking today," Dutt's letter to Banerjee read.
"This act is a symbolic protest against the dirty games of ruling government meant to pick and choose honest, hardworking officers like me and Nazrul Islam IPS and destroy them systematically and make an example for others who are not servile/ subservient enough," it said.
Copies of the letter were also sent to some senior government officials, and have been accessed by PTI.
Though Banerjee could not be immediately reached for comments, Jyotipriya Mallick, the state's food and civil supplies minister, trashed the accusations.
"This is nonsense. There is no substance in it. We are not interested in the matter," Mallick said.
State BJP president Dilip Ghosh, however, smelt a conspiracy behind Dutt's death and sought a speedy probe to "unravel" the truth.
"I think there is a conspiracy behind this (Dutt's death). He has targeted the chief minister. A neutral probe must be initiated. I am sceptical about how much the state police will be able to do because they are under tremendous pressure from the top level. I demand a neutral agency conduct the enquiry," he said.
Mukul Roy, once a close Banerjee aide who quit the party and joined the BJP, sought a CBI probe into Dutt's death.
"This is a very sensitive matter. A very senior IPS officer has accused the chief minister of abetting his suicide. I am not very confident that the state police will be holding a fair probe. I want a CBI investigation," Roy told PTI by phone from New Delhi.
The officer had a chequered past. He was suspended for nine months in 2010 for "conduct unbecoming of an officer" after a constable's wife accused him of torturing her husband as he spurned his "sexual advances".
He also faced disciplinary action in 2012 over alleged financial irregularities.
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
