Mukul Roy getting 'Y-plus' security? PIL filed in Calcutta HC

MP |  26 Nov 2017 |  26 Nov 2017, Kolkata: A Trinamool Councillor has filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Calcutta High Court objecting against the Central government providing for 'Y-plus' security to former TMC leader Mukul Roy after his defection to the BJP. 

Earlier, the state government had written to the Union Home ministry about it but the Centre never replied to it. Following this, Councillor of Bidhannagar Municipality and leader of the party's youth wing Debraj Chakraborty had filed the PIL. After quitting the Trianmool Congress and stepping down from his membership to the Rajya Sabha, Roy had joined the BJP on November 3.

The PIL has been filed by Chakraborty seeking the court's intervention regarding engaging CRPF commandos for Roy's security when it was not possible to deploy adequate forces in trouble-torn Darjeeling when the situation there was so very unstable during the GJM's indefinite strike. 

The petitioner has maintained that Roy had returned the security provided by the state government on September 20 as he might have felt that "he had no threat perception for himself" and his resignation as a Rajya Sabha member came on October 11. 

The petitioner stated that after "resigning as a Rajya Sabha member and joining BJP he was provided with Y-plus category security with 12 personnel. It is inconceivable as to what circumstances led to Roy's threat perception to change," within a short period of time.

In the PIL, the petitioner also stated that Roy's name has cropped up in "Saradha Chit Fund" scam which is being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED). In both the cases, he has been repeatedly summoned for interrogation… and such a person is being protected by the CRPF which is another Central government agency is something that smacks of undue favouritism, mala-fide use of discretionary power…"

Objecting the move of the Centre in providing "Y-plus" category security to Roy, it has been submitted in the PIL that "it is the duty of the Centre to maintain unity and peace in the country" but such a high-level security has been provided to Roy when it failed to provide CRPF in Darjeeling and Kurseong. 

It may be recalled that on July 14 the High Court had directed the Centre to deploy an additional four companies of CRPF in the Hills. 

Later on October 15, the state government had received a letter from the Centre stating that 10 out of 15 companies of the Central Forces were to be withdrawn from the Hills. The 10 companies included seven companies of the CRPF. Finally, only seven of the 15 companies were withdrawn following an order of the Supreme Court as the forces had to be sent for duty for election duties.