The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday directed the West Bengal Police to deploy two police personnel with TMC MP Mahua Moitra whenever she visits her Krishnanagar Lok Sabha constituency over the next 30 days.
Justice Sougat Bhattacharyya said the security was necessary amid allegations that Moitra had been harassed by crowds during visits to her constituency.
The court directed the SP of Krishnanagar Police District to deploy the personnel after receiving prior information about Moitra’s visit and stay. The arrangement will remain in place for 30 days, after which the state government must submit a report to the court. The next hearing is scheduled for October 1.
Moitra’s lawyer, Kalyan Banerjee, told the court that the MP was unable to freely visit her constituency and perform her parliamentary duties.
He alleged that during a July 1 incident in Kalyanganj, Nadia, a pre-planned crowd threw eggs, potatoes, tomatoes and stones at Moitra and stopped her from moving freely.
Banerjee also alleged that Moitra had alerted the DGP through WhatsApp, but the police arrived nearly three hours later. He cited a Facebook Live recording by Moitra as evidence of the incident.
The state government said Moitra already had security cover and that FIRs had been registered on all three complaints filed by her.
The court questioned how such incidents occurred despite the existing security arrangement.
The court clarified that while Moitra already has personal security officers, additional police personnel should be deployed to prevent further incidents.
Banerjee also claimed that around 1,000 people had gathered outside a police station when Moitra recently visited it in connection with a case and attempted to stop her from entering. The court warned the state that such incidents must be dealt with strictly or they could go out of control.
