KOLKATA: Bengal governor C V Ananda Bose Monday led a team of security personnel and sniffer dogs in a “search operation” at Raj Bhavan following allegations by Trinamool MP Kalyan Banerjee “arms and ammunition were stacked within its premises”. Banerjee dismissed the exercise as “child’s play”.”Governor Bose led the team of personnel, comprising Kolkata police officers and central forces, the bomb squad and dog squad, to find out whether there are arms and ammunition stacked inside,” a Raj Bhavan official said. Bose, who was on a trip to north Bengal, cut that short to spearhead the operation, which started from the ground floor of Raj Bhavan around 2.15pm, an official said. “There was also deployment of personnel at Raj Bhavan Police Outpost. Officials of disaster management and civil defence departments also participated in the search,” the official added.Raj Bhavan was evacuated and members of civil society and journalists were allowed to accompany Bose during the exercise, which was “live-streamed”. Banerjee said: “…Why would anyone call police unless they have cleaned up the place? This is all child’s play. He would not have to resort to such antics if he only followed the Constitution in letter and spirit… Actually, he has fallen in his appraisal sheet (among other governors) before the Union home minister. He is desperate to make amends. Let him complain against me in LS…”Earlier, after “nothing surfaced following the search”, Bose threatened strong action against Banerjee as per legal provisions for his “baseless allegations”.
