Kolkata: The BJP has sought the removal of West Bengal Minister Akhil Giri after he abused a woman forest department officer while she and her team were removing illegal encroachments at Tajpur Sea resort in the East Midnapore district.
State BJP leader and the counsel of the Calcutta High Court Koustav Bagchi has forwarded a communique to Governor C.V. Ananda Bose requesting the latter to initiate the removal of Giri from his ministerial chair.
In the letter, Bagchi said that Minister Giri was a habitual offender, and also reminded how the same minister had earlier passed derogatory remarks concerning the looks of President Droupadi Murmu.
“Shri Giri, a habitual offender in making misogynist and derogatory comments, today had threatened a female officer of the West Bengal Forest Department with dire consequences and had abused her with filthy languages,” Bagchi said in the letter, a copy of which is available with IANS.
“Previously it was Shri Giri who had made misogynist and derogatory comments on Her Excellency The Hon’ble President of India Smt. Droupadi Murmu and the same had sparked a worldwide controversy ultimately for which he was compelled to apologize. But it seems that he has not learnt a lesson therefrom,” the letter read
Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress went into a damage-control mode over the entire issue. Trinamool Congress leader Kunal Ghosh had already issued a statement claiming that the party does not endorse such behaviour on the part of the minister.
West Bengal Minister of State in charge of the forest department (independent charge) Birbaha Hansda had personally talked to the woman forest department official and got updated about the development.
Party insiders said that Minister Hansda had even expressed her displeasure over the entire matter within the party.
A purported video went viral on social media on Saturday showing Minister Akhil Giri abusing a woman forest department officer.
In the video, the Minister could be seen threatening the forest officer using abusive language, “You are a government employee, bow down your head (in front of me) while speaking. See what happens to you within a week… Mend your ways. You will see what happens when people beat you with sticks.”
Giri was heard alleging that following instructions from the woman officer, the forest department staff demolished shops of local people late into the night when it was raining torrentially.
“I want to see how powerful an officer you are,” the Minister was heard saying as he yelled at the officer.
The officer was heard questioning Giri as to how she could be removed for doing her duty.
To this, Giri asked, “Who asked you to be on night duty? Why were the shops demolished at night,” which the officer refuted.
–IANS