National News
Mamata Banerjee confronts Delhi Police at Banga Bhawan, alleges harassment of Bengal families over SIR issue
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday confronted Delhi Police personnel deployed outside Banga Bhawan in Chanakyapuri, alleging that families affected by the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in her state were being harassed and threatened in the national capital.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday confronted Delhi Police personnel deployed outside Banga Bhawan in Chanakyapuri, alleging that families affected by the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in her state were being harassed and threatened in the national capital.
Police said security arrangements in the area had been stepped up but did not elaborate on specific measures.
Addressing reporters, Banerjee questioned the heavy police deployment outside the state guest house, where several families from West Bengal have been staying ahead of their meeting with the Election Commission.
“People from Bengal are being threatened in Banga Bhawan. Our case is going on in the Supreme Court and we have an official meeting at the Election Commission. We are here for justice,” she said.
The Chief Minister, however, said she did not blame the police personnel directly, but “those who are on the top,” in an apparent reference to Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Banerjee arrived in Delhi on Sunday and is scheduled to meet Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar regarding the SIR exercise. Around 50 families affected by the electoral roll revision have been brought to the capital by the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and are staying at various West Bengal government properties, including Banga Bhawan. Some of them later accompanied the delegation to the Election Commission.
Visuals showed Banerjee speaking directly to security personnel and urging them to be sensitive towards the visiting families.
“Many families are here who have suffered because of the SIR process. Why is Delhi Police deployed everywhere they are staying? Where is the police when blasts happen in Delhi?” she asked.
She alleged that the Centre was misusing agencies to intimidate people. “They get nervous when I come here. I could have brought lakhs of people,” she said.
Meanwhile, several TMC MPs fanned out to different locations where the families were accommodated.
TMC MP Saket Gokhale claimed that around 25–30 police personnel and a bus were stationed outside a West Bengal Power Development Corporation guest house in Kailash Colony, where 20 people were staying.
“The police checked the register and told them they could be detained if they stepped out. After we objected, the bus was removed and deployment reduced,” he said, alleging the families were being targeted because they were Bengalis.
Other party leaders, including Dola Sen, Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar and Bapi Haldar, were also seen engaging with police at the sites.
The issue was later raised in the Rajya Sabha by TMC deputy leader Sagarika Ghose, who alleged that the families had been “harassed and manhandled”.
Banerjee, along with TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, also met the affected families at Banga Bhawan. The party has challenged the SIR process in the Supreme Court, claiming it has led to wrongful deletions and hardships for voters in West Bengal.
