A section of Bengal Police officers on Saturday suggested that a change in Trinamool MP Abhishek Banerjee’s Sonarpur schedule from morning to afternoon may have contributed to what appeared to be a serious security lapse during his visit.
However, several senior serving and retired officers said that regardless of circumstances, responsibility lies with the police if a protected person comes under attack.
During the incident, when eggs, bricks and other objects were hurled and individuals appeared to have attempted to slap and push the MP in Sonarpur on Saturday afternoon, no uniformed police personnel were in sight. A few safari-suited guards were present but were outnumbered and unable to control the situation.
Sources said two personal security officers (PSOs) were accompanying Abhishek during the visit, and one of them gave him a cricket helmet to shield himself.
A senior state police officer said the incident and the PSOs’ inability to protect Abhishek indicated that his threat perception was not properly assessed after his security cover was downgraded by the new BJP government.
“While a Z-plus cover for Abhishek may have been an overestimation, his threat perception during public visits still exists and should have warranted a more appropriate cover rather than limiting protection to just two PSOs,” the officer said.
Police sources said Abhishek’s original schedule had placed the Sonarpur visit in the morning to meet the family of slain Trinamool worker Sanju Karmakar. From the southern fringes of Calcutta, Abhishek was also scheduled to visit the family of Biswajit Pattanaik in Beleghata, who was killed on the night of May 4.
Abhishek later altered his schedule.
At Beleghata, Abhishek learnt that a CID team was waiting to serve him a summons in connection with a probe into alleged forged signatures. He returned to his Kalighat residence, received the notice, and later proceeded to Sonarpur.
Prasun Mukherjee, former Calcutta police commissioner, said: “Police arrangements for an MP visiting a place are usually based on threat perception... If the protectee changes the plan without informing the police, deployment is withdrawn as forces get stretched otherwise.”
However, intelligence officers said that irrespective of the schedule change, Abhishek’s first public appearance after the Assembly poll outcome should have prompted assessment of risk by district intelligence units.
“Some residents of Sonarpur had been seething with anger for some time against the slain Trinamool worker and his family over allegations that he was responsible for lack of development of the road leading to his house,” said a senior officer of the
Baruipur police district.
“This background is sufficient to assess the possible reaction when a Trinamool leader visits the family of the deceased after the election results.”
Abhishek’s security was upgraded to Z-plus in 2015 after an incident in which an unidentified man intruded onto the dais during a rally at Chandipur in East Midnapore.
After the Assembly election results, the new state government withdrew his Z-plus cover.
“The security cover could have been carefully assessed and scaled down to Y-category, which would have given the MP close to a dozen personnel,” an officer said.
Under the current X-category cover, Abhishek is entitled to two PSOs without commandos or escort vehicles. The PSOs are assigned to protect him at his residence and during movement, working in shifts, officials said.
Baruipur district superintendent of police Subhendu Kumar said: “After receiving information about the incident, adequate police and central forces were deployed. Legal action is being taken to identify those involved, and necessary steps will follow.”