Abhishek Banerjee
The state has to take precautions,” the judge remarked, scheduling the next hearing for Oct 13 and directing the state to file a detailed report addressing the queries raised. State govt countered that Kolkata Police on May 12 and the Directorate of Security on May 29 conducted two separate reviews and concluded that Banerjee’s current threat level corresponded to X category security in Bengal, justifying the scale-down.
Kolkata: Calcutta High Court on Tuesday asked Bengal govt “what was the immediate urgency” when informed that Trinamool general secretary Abhishek Banerjee ’s security was downgraded from Z-plus to X category on May 10, within 24 hours of the new BJP govt taking office. Banerjee’s counsel Gopal Sankaranarayanan informed the court that following the security downgrade to X category — which allows for only two personal security officers (PSOs) — the MP was attacked four times. “Is stone-pelting a minor incident? Had a stone hit his body, what would have happened? When the judge requested a detailed report, the state initially sought a three-week adjournment, prompting Justice Rao to say: “Take three weeks, but restore his Z-plus cover until then. Who will take responsibility?”