Seems censorship is in place in Bengal: Guv Jagdeep Dhankhar

Kolkata: West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Tuesday wondered whether some sort of censorship was in place in the state after district officials refused to meet him citing ongoing administrative tour of the chief minister.

Governor Dhankhar termed the refusal of the district officials to attend a meeting called by him as "unconstitutional".

He had last week expressed his desire to hold meetings with district magistrates, bureaucrats and elected representatives of North and South 24 Parganas districts, a tour of which he has begun from Tuesday.

However, the office of the Governor on Monday evening received letters from the district magistrates of the two districts mentioning that the officials would not be able to attend his meetings as they will be busy with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's ongoing tour of north Bengal, Raj Bhavan sources said.

However, the officials said that other arrangements for his tour will be made, the sources said.

"I am astonished to receive the letters from the district officials in which they have expressed their inability to attend the meetings, that too four days since my intimation. I do not know whether some sort of censorship is in place in West Bengal," the Governor told PTI over the phone.

"Despite this, I will continue my tour of the districts," he added.

Dhankhar has been at the loggerheads with the state government over several issues -- ranging from his seating position at the Durga Puja carnival to comments on his security -- since he rushed to Jadavpur University on September 19 to 'rescue' Union minister Babul Supriyo who had been gheroed by a section of students.