NEW DELHI: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has decided to deploy her own police personnel to safeguard families of the SIR victims during her visit to the national capital, sparking a tense standoff with Delhi Police.On Monday evening, it was confirmed that a 25-member Bengal Police team, led by a deputy SP and an inspector and including a RAF unit, would be dispatched immediately to Delhi to protect around 100 SIR-affected families.
The team is scheduled to reach the city today.Delhi Police special commissioner Devesh Chandra Srivastava clarified that Banerjee has been accorded Z+ security in Delhi, and the responsibility for her security rests with the Delhi Police as per protocol. He said, “Adequate deployments were made at Banga Bhavan, Hailey Road, and various guest houses where VVIPs and senior leaders were staying. At no point did police enter Banga Bhavan or restrict movement of its occupants.”The tensions escalated Monday morning when news spread that barricades had been set up outside one of the two West Bengal guest houses in Delhi. TMC MPs, joined by CM Banerjee and national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, reached the locations. Addressing the media, the CM said, “As many as 150 people have died during the Bengal SIR. Some of their relatives are here. Why can’t they speak with the media? Wherever these people have been put up, the Union government has sent cops.”Criticizing the Delhi Police and the central leadership, Banerjee added, “I won’t blame the cops, I will blame the one on top. He cannot provide security to the country.” She accused officers of “torturing and harassing” the affected families and claimed that police were “searching rooms and threatening people.”A Delhi cop attempted to explain the deployment was for security purposes, but Banerjee interrupted, saying, “What security are you speaking of? You are coming to Banga Bhawan, which belongs to us, to threaten our people.” She emphasized the symbolic nature of her protest, noting that only about 50 victims’ relatives were present.Delhi Police maintained that no personnel entered Banga Bhawan, adding that the deployment was precautionary due to reports that 150-200 party supporters and senior leaders were staying in guest houses across Delhi.The CM’s stand sparked a political stir in Parliament, with TMC MPs storming the Lok Sabha well and raising slogans against the Union government, joined by Samajwadi Party members. In Rajya Sabha, TMC MP Sagarika Ghose also raised the issue.Banerjee concluded sharply, “Amit Shah gets a red carpet in Bengal, but when I come here, I get a black carpet. If no one else fights, I will,” accusing the central government of making Delhi “a zamindari” with no space for the poor.
