Ex-cops to help clear Rath Path... TMC warning

TT, Alipurduar: The Bengal BJP has decided to engage retired police officers who served in senior positions to expedite the process of getting permission from the authorities of the districts through which the party's Rath Yatras will pass and where associated meetings will be held from December 7.

R.K. Handa, a retired IPS and the former DGP of Sikkim, met the superintendent of police of Alipurduar on Saturday to seek the "cooperation" of the district police for the BJP's programmes. Some senior district leaders had complained that the local police did not give them an audience.

Handa was accompanied by former police officers such as Tapan Banerjee, Subal Karmakar, Tapan Sarkar and Bishnupada Sinha, all of whom had worked as deputy SP or in more senior posts in Bengal. Handa spoke to Sunil Kumar Yadav, the Alipurduar police chief, at his office.

Two days ago Handa had met the police chief of Jalpaiguri and is known to have briefed him about route and other details related to the Cooch Behar-Calcutta Rath Yatra -- one of the three chariots that the BJP is taking out. The Cooch Behar rath will start its journey on December 7.

"Here in Alipurduar I came to know that those in the district administration do not even meet local BJP leaders. This is unacceptable.... We want our Ganatantra Bachao Yatra to cross through the district peacefully and have sought the assistance of the police," Handa said. In Alipurduar the BJP plans to organise two meetings once the chariot enters the district on December 10. One of the meetings has been planned in Alipurduar and the other in Falakata on December 11.

"We are making arrangements to bring in the chief ministers of Uttar Pradesh and Tripura at these meetings, along with some central ministers. However, we have not got permission for any of the meetings so far," said Gangaprasad Sharma, the Alipurduar BJP president.

Party insiders said the strategy to engage the retired senior police officers could be effective to some extent.

"It is unlikely that those in the administration and the police will decline to meet their seniors in the service.... And it is easy for those who have the experience of working in the administration to present their case before the current officers if they decline to give legitimate permission to our rallies," said a state BJP leader.

According to him, on many occasions the BJP has had to move court to get permission. For example in July this year a rally of the Yuva Morcha could be held in Calcutta only after the youth unit of the BJP received permission from court.

Besides helping the BJP in getting permission for the Rath Yatra and associated meetings, the ex-cops would also come in handy while chalking out foolproof plans for the programmes.

The former police officers are also collecting information on the police cases registered against BJP leaders and workers in the districts..