CPI(M)
crackdown on 'disloyal West Bengal officials'
by Gautam Ghosh
Kolkata:
The Bengal CPI(M) is planning to crackdown on 'disloyal
police officials and bureaucrats out to tarnish the public
image of the Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee government.' This is
apparent from the manner in which state CPI(M) secretary and
politburo member Anil Biswas has dubbed the police officials
and bureaucrats in Bengal as 'anti-communist' in the wake
of a controversial article written by inspector-general(IG)
of police, enforcement branch, Nazrul Islam. The article,
published in the autumn number of the mouthpiece of the CPI(M)-controlled
Non-gazetted Police Employees' Association, has come down
heavily on the ruling Marxists for using the police force
to make electoral gains and on the CPI(M) ministers for misusing
government vehicles. While the state government has ordered
a probe into Islam's conduct as the first step to take disciplinary
action against him and intends to transfer to an insignificant
post, the latter has stood his ground, saying he wrote the
article on the basis of his personal experience as a police
officer.
The
serious allegations, leveled against the ruling party and
its ministers, have come at a time when chief minister Buddhadeb
Bhattacharjee is seeking foreign investment to Bengal and
trying to improve its work culture. The fact that Islam is
the author of 27 books and winner of the Indian Police Medal
has added to the CPI(M)'s discomfiture. The police officer
had earlier served as the city detective chief and also deputy
commissioner(Headquarters) of Kolkata police and the state
government did not receive any complaint against him during
his long tenure. Islam's article has hit the CPI(M) in its
most vulnerable area. Mainline opposition parties like the
Congress, Trinamul Congress and the BJP have always charged
the Marxists with taking the state polices help to win elections.
During Assembly and Parliamentary polls it has been the CPI(M)-
led government's practice not to use the central forces to
curb electoral mal-practices, but to take the assistance of
the state police force to guard the Marxists poll machinery.
The
corroboration of this serious charge by an honest IPS officer
like Islam has naturally caught the state CPI(M) on the wrong
foot. The fact that the autumn number of 'Mangalpath,' containing
the article, was formally released by finance minister Asim
Dasgupta has only caused further embarrassment to the CPI(M)
leadership here. Unable to reply to the issues raised by Islam,
Biswas has resorted to a short-cut method to wriggle out of
the situation. He has accused Islam and some other retired
IPS officers like former director-general of police Ramen
Bhattacharya and Subhas Gosain, who criticized the ruling
party for its acts of commission and omission. 'Our police
officials and bureaucrats are anti-communist to the core of
their hearts. They are virtually behaving like the opposition
party leaders,' Biswas observed. The state CPI(M) secretary
even went to the extent of defending the ministers who have
been using government cars to attend party meetings. "Since
they are ministers they have to use their cars to attend party
rallies. What else can they do?" he asked, oblivious of the
fact that government cars can not be used for any political
purpose.
The
chief minister has also remained content with describing Islams
contentions as 'all bogus.' Trinamul Congress chairperson
Mamata Banerjee has lost no time to defend Islam, describing
him as an 'honest and upright police officer who has earned
the CPI(M)s wrath for some plain- speaking." "I will not
allow the CPI(M) to victimize him for expressing his bold
views. We have seen how the Marxists have been using the administration
to shield the accused in the Nanoor massacre case," she said.
There is no doubt that the opposition parties will make Islam's
article a major issue in the next years Assembly polls. State
home secretary Prasamd Ranjan Roy said Islam had not sought
the government's prior permission for writing the article
as required under the code of conduct. Sources close to Islam,
however, pointed out this kind of permission was needed only
for writing books. He penned the article only after a request
from the Non-gazetted police employees association. A section
of the state CPI(M) leadership, however, is somewhat wary
about taking any harsh action against Islam with a few months
left for the Assembly elections since it may send a wrong
signal to the minority community.