Mamta Agarwal

Mamta Agarwal had written to city police commissioner Surajit Kar Purkayastha about feeling insecure over the property dispute involving her school at 9A Short Street.

Calcutta High Court, on the other hand, had asked the police commissioner to use his discretion on a writ petition for security by Dwarkanath Sein, the owner of the adjacent 9B Short Street.

Lalbazar did not deploy personnel because the police commissioner, based on an inquiry by Shakespeare Sarani police station, did not find it necessary to do so, sources said.

Justice Sanjib Banerjee had passed an order on June 13, 2013, leaving it to the commissioner to decide whether a police picket was required at Short Street. Sein had pleaded for security (writ petition number 479, dated May 13) by citing an alleged trespass on his property.

Justice Banerjee observed that it was beyond the police’s scope to “adjudicate on the private disputes between the parties”. He said the police’s role was restricted to ensuring law and order on the premises.

“WP No. 479 of 2013 is disposed of by directing the police authorities to ensure that no physical harm comes to the petitioner and the private respondents as a result of the disputes between them, but the police authorities should not attempt to adjudicate upon the dispute as to the title or possession relating to the immovable property,” states the order signed by Justice Banerjee.

On Sein’s plea for a police picket, the judge said: “It will be open to the commissioner to consider the petitioner’s representation of May 13, 2013, for a police picket in accordance with law and communicate the decision to the petitioner within a fortnight from date.”

Police officers said on condition of anonymity that had there been a police picket at 9B Short Street, the trespass leading to the shooting incident at 9A last Monday possibly would not have occurred.

Mamta, the principal of Young Minds International School, is in police custody along with two others on charges of shooting dead two recruits of a security agency that had trespassed on 9A Short Street, which shares its boundary wall with 9B, early on Monday.

Sources in Lalbazar said that acting on the court’s order, the commissioner did order an inquiry and sought a status report.

The report was prepared by the officer-in-charge of Shakespeare Sarani police station, Piyus Kundu, in consultation with assistant commissioner-I (south division) Tapas Bose. It was then forwarded to the then deputy commissioner (south division) Vishal Garg for his approval.

The report was finally submitted to the police commissioner.

Responding to a text message on Friday seeking his reaction to the police’s refusal to post personnel at the address, commissioner Kar Purkayastha said: “All aspects are being looked into.”

He did not elaborate.

Mamta’s plea for help to Lalbazar and her remarks about the alleged apathy of the local police station has raised questions about why the commissioner relied on a report from the same police station.

“If there is an allegation about inaction against the local police, there should have been an independent inquiry,” said a senior officer not involved in the probe.

In one of the letters (dated May 18) that Mamta wrote to the police commissioner, she said: “Sir, I have to save myself…I am begging you to please do something. It is a very serious matter…I am not writing to the officer-in-charge of Shakespeare Sarani because it is of no point as the said police station knows everything and is quietly sitting down as mute spectators. In fact, such behaviour of the local police station has made me very suspicious.”