Bengal Governor Receives Death Threat Email Amid Political Tension, Security Heightened

India

oi-Swastika Sruti

West
Bengal
Governor
C.
V.
Ananda
Bose
received
a
threatening
email
on
Wednesday
that
read,
“Will
blast
him.” Following
the
threat,
security
around
the
Governor
has
been
tightened
immediately.
Both
the
state
police
and
the
Central
Reserve
Police
Force
(CRPF)
are
now
working
together
to
ensure
his
safety.

According
to
officials,
a
midnight
meeting
of
the
security
agencies
responsible
for
the
Governor’s
protection
was
held
to
assess
the
situation.
The
Governor’s
Office
has
also
informed
the
Union
Home
Ministry
about
the
incident.
The
source
of
the
email
is
currently
under
investigation,
and
cybersecurity
teams
are
working
to
trace
its
origin.

The
threat
comes
at
a
time
when
political
tensions
are
running
high
in
West
Bengal,
adding
another
layer
of
concern
to
the
already
charged
atmosphere.

ED
Raids
I-PAC
Office;
Mamata
Banerjee
Hits
Back

Earlier
in
the
day,
the
Enforcement
Directorate
(ED)
conducted
raids
at
the
Indian
Political
Action
Committee
(I-PAC)
office
in
Kolkata.
The
move
triggered
a
political
storm,
with
Chief
Minister
Mamata
Banerjee
launching
a
fierce
attack
on
the
BJP-led
central
government.

She
accused
the
BJP
of
using
central
agencies
to
interfere
in
West
Bengal’s
politics
and
called
the
ED
raids
a
“blatant
misuse
of
power.” In
a
strong
statement,
Mamata
said,
“If
the
BJP
cannot
fight
us
politically,
why
are
they
coming
to
Bengal?
Fight
us
in
elections,
not
through
raids.”

Banerjee
alleged
that
ED
officials
had
taken
away
confidential
party
documents,
including
internal
data,
voter
information,
and
campaign
strategies
of
the
Trinamool
Congress
(TMC).
She
described
the
act
as
an
“assault
on
democracy”
and
claimed
that
the
BJP
was
attempting
to
weaken
her
party
ahead
of
the
upcoming
elections.

The
Chief
Minister
also
accused
the
Union
Home
Minister
of
orchestrating
the
operation,
calling
him
“nasty”
and
“irresponsible.”
She
warned
that
if
such
actions
continued,
the
TMC
would
“fight
for
democracy
on
the
ground.”

ED
Denies
Political
Targeting

In
response,
the
Enforcement
Directorate
clarified
that
the
raids
were
not
politically
motivated.
The
agency
said
the
searches
were
part
of
an
ongoing
investigation
into
illegal
coal
smuggling
and
money
laundering,
conducted
simultaneously
at
ten
locations
–
six
in
West
Bengal
and
four
in
Delhi.

The
ED
added
that
no
political
office
was
searched
and
that
the
operations
were
carried
out
following
due
legal
procedures.
It
also
alleged
that
certain
individuals
“illegally
intruded”
into
two
of
the
premises
during
the
raid
and
took
away
documents.

A
Chaotic
Day
in
Bengal

With
the
Governor’s
security
threat
and
the
I-PAC
raids
unfolding
on
the
same
day,
Wednesday
turned
into
one
of
the
most
turbulent
days
in
West
Bengal’s
recent
political
history.
The
state
remains
on
high
alert
as
investigations
continue
on
both
fronts
–
the
threat
email
to
Raj
Bhavan
and
the
ED’s
ongoing
probe.