Bengal ED attack: Guv exploring constitutional options, oppn demands Prez's rule

The opposition is baying for the imposition of Presidents Rule in West Bengal after the Enforcement Directorate ED officers were attacked by the loyalists of a Trinamool Congress leader during a raid in the state Governor C V Ananda Bose has also signalled his intent to explore constitutional options and take appropriate action in the light of the West Bengal ED attackThe Bharatiya Janata Party BJP has characterised the West Bengal ED attack as a direct assault on the federal structure leading to an urgent call from the Congress for the imposition of Presidents RuleThe ruling Trinamool Congress however rejected the charges and accused the central agency officials of inciting localsThe West Bengal ED attack occurred when Enforcement Directorate officers executed a raid on the residence of Trinamool Congress leader Sheikh Sajahan where they faced attacks from his supporters resulting in substantial damage to both officers and their vehiclesSajahan is considered to be a close aide of state minister Jyotipriyo Mallick who was arrested in connection with the multicrore ration distribution scamThis operation was a crucial aspect of the agencys ongoing probe into the multicrore ration distribution scamA large number of TMC loyalists assaulted ED officials and central forces personnel during the raid forcing the officers to abandon their damaged vehicles and seek refuge in autorickshaws and twowheelersAt least two officers suffered serious injuries in the West Bengal ED attack necessitating hospitalisationAlso read Maharashtra ED action will not deter Rohit Pawar BJP nervous after his yatra says Sharad Pawarled NCPThis kind of attack is unprecedented We have sent a report on Shiekh Sajahan to our Delhi office the ED officer told PTIThe episode drew sharp criticism from the governor also who slammed the state government for its inability to contain the turmoil in SandeshkhaliThe ghastly incident in Sandeshkhali is alarming and deplorable Its the duty of a civilised government to stop barbarism and vandalism in a democracy As a Governor I explore all my Constitutional options for appropriate action in the appropriate manner Bose said in a voice message released from the Raj BhavanHe also asserted that West Bengal is not a banana republicGovernment may better open its eyes and see the reality and act effectively or face the consequences The ostrichlike attitude of the police pretending not to see the lawlessness around should go Bose said in an audio statementThe incident triggered a political storm in West Bengal with opposition parties criticising the deteriorating law and order situationUnion Minister of State for Home Affairs Nisith Pramanik emphasized the failure of respective state governments to provide adequate security to central agency officers stating The attack on the officers of the central agency is an attack on the federal structure of the stateHe said that the Centre is taking serious note of the incident and its commitment to investigating why similar events persistently occur in West BengalBJP state president Sukanta Majumdar wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah urging an immediate National Investigation Agency NIA probe and demanding imposition of Presidents Rule in the stateAs the law and order situation in WB has crumbled thanks to AITCofficial post the heinous attack on the ED officials at Sandeshkhali I have written to the Honble Home Minister AmitShahJi to initiate NIA investigation into the matter to ensure the safety of the people of Bengal he posted on XMajumdars communication also requested the deployment of central paramilitary forces to safeguard the integrity of investigative proceduresState Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury echoed these sentimentsUnder the TMC rule the law and order cease to exist in West Bengal We demand that Presidents Rule should be immediately imposed in West Bengal he saidIn response senior TMC minister Shashi Panja charged the central agency officials with inciting locals leading to the situationUnion minister Nisith Pramanik spoke about the attack on the federal structure The withholding of the states dues in a real sense is an attack on the federal structure she saidTMC state spokesperson Kunal Ghosh criticised both the Congress and the BJP contending that the law and order situation in West Bengal is far superior to that in other statesThe governor instead of looking into the entire incident impartially is jumping to conclusions He should stop acting like a BJP leader he saidMedia persons from news channels who went to Sandeskhali to cover the ED raids were also assaulted and their vehicles were also ransacked With inputs from PTI