A Raj Bhavan staff member has been spotted in CCTV footage of the Raj Bhavan compound carrying a bag which police said belongs to the woman who has accused the governor of physical harassment.
The police said the footage seems to corroborate the complainant’s statement that her bag was being carried by someone else. The complainant has alleged that the bag was taken forcefully to prevent her from leaving the compound.
The complainant, a junior staffer at Raj Bhavan, mentioned in her statement to the police that a woman staffer (this newspaper is not revealing her name) had allegedly snatched her phone and bag in the first-floor EPBX room, where she was confined following her protests after stepping out of the governor’s room on May 2.
The police said the footage shows the same staff member carrying the woman’s bag and loitering around the police outpost while she was lodging the complaint inside.
The footage in which the staff member is seen carrying the bag (backpack) on her shoulder is part of the footage released by Raj Bhavan on May 9. It shows the woman complainant walking towards the police outpost at 5.33pm on May 2.
The police have obtained the footage and examined it, said an officer of Kolkata Police.
“The woman seen in the footage matches the description in the complainant’s statement. Also, the body language and behavioural pattern of the staff member who was carrying the bag suggest that she was not there to help or support the complainant by carrying her bag. Instead, she was moving around in a restless manner making phone calls,” said an officer who is part of the enquiry team.
The woman who was seen carrying the bag is one of the 11 staff members of Raj Bhavan who had been summoned by Kolkata Police in connection with the enquiry into the complaint of physical harassment by governor C.V. Ananda Bose.
However, she has not turned up to face the police.
According to Raj Bhavan sources, the staff member seen carrying the bag works as an attendant in the guest rooms and at times doubles as a helping hand in the pantry.
“During the tenure of a former governor, her duty was to make juice for madam (the governor’s wife). She works as an attendant in the guest rooms and a help in the pantry when there are no guests,” said a source at Raj Bhavan.
Two of her family members are also on the Raj Bhavan staff, the source said. The family lives in Raj Bhavan staff quarters.
Text and WhatsApp messages from this newspaper to the staff member seeking her reaction did not yield any response till Sunday night.
A detailed text message was sent to the governor seeking his reaction to the allegations against the Raj Bhavan staff member. Also, a mail was sent to his official mail ID and that of his secretary.
This newspaper received a response from the email ID of the governor, saying: “Your mail is received and is being examined.”
In response to the governor’s reply, this newspaper sent him another email seeking his opinion by Sunday night so that his statement could be included in the report that would be published in Monday’s edition. There was no response to the second mail till late on Sunday.
The footage shows the woman complainant walking briskly towards the police outpost in the Raj Bhavan compound and another woman staffer (wearing a white and green salwar kameez with a green dupatta) with a backpack, walking behind her.
“This (the staff member carrying the complainant’s bag) corroborates the complainant’s claim, adding credence to her statement,” said a police officer.
An officer in Kolkata Police said: “The footage does not prove that the staff member snatched the bag, but it corroborates that part of the complainant’s statement where she says the staff member was carrying her bag.”
According to the police, the complainant had said that she got back her bag on May 2 evening after she made it clear that she would not leave Raj Bhavan with any of the staff members who were trying to persuade her to avail of a car arranged by them to drop her home.