Twelve hours after her long-serving personal security officers were seen vacating, former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee remained without official security protection at her Kalighat residence on Wednesday, triggering a sharp political confrontation between the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the state government.
The controversy erupted after the West Bengal Directorate of Security replaced the security personnel assigned to Banerjee, a Z-plus protectee, according to Trinamool Congress. Sources close to the ex-CM said, she declined to accept the newly assigned officers, leaving her residence without the usual security arrangement.
Senior party leaders alleged that several personal security officers who had been protecting Banerjee for nearly two decades were “abruptly removed.” The officers were reportedly associated with her security detail since her tenure as Union Railway Minister and continued to serve after she became Chief Minister in 2011.
According to party sources, instructions were recently issued directing the officers to return to their parent units. Kolkata Police subsequently deployed replacement personnel, but Banerjee is understood to have refused the new arrangement. TMC leaders claimed that the party had to arrange private security personnel at her residence in the meantime.
The issue gained political attention after TMC MP Derek O'Brien posted on social media that the former Chief Minister's security personnel had been withdrawn and that no official security deployment was present outside her residence on Harish Chatterjee Street i.e. her Kalighat residence.
In a strongly worded statement on social media, the Trinamool Congress described the move as an act of political retaliation. O’ Brien alleged, "Removing the long-serving security personnel protecting Mamata Banerjee is not administrative action; it is a calculated move to isolate and endanger her."
TMC MP Sagarika Ghosh also criticised the development, arguing that the security of a former Chief Minister should not become a political issue. She said, "A former Chief Minister's security is not about politics; it is an institutional responsibility of the West Bengal government."
Senior TMC leader Kunal Ghosh termed the situation "unfortunate and undesirable," alleging that Banerjee's residence had effectively been left without adequate protection. He said, "Long-serving security personnel have been removed without informing a VIP of Mamata Banerjee's stature."
Ghosh further appealed to Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari to restore the previous arrangement and reinstate Banerjee's long-time personal security officers, Swarup Goswami and Kusum Dwivedi.
TMC leaders also pointed out that security arrangements around Banerjee's residence had been reduced after the change in government, including the removal of barricades from Harish Chatterjee Street, although security personnel had continued to guard the premises.
Party leaders additionally noted that security cover outside the residence of TMC National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee had also been withdrawn after the change in administration. The TMC Lok Sabha MP’s security was deduced to Y category from the previously enjoyed Z+ category.
