The spokesperson of Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), Saurav Das on Thursday alleged that Puducherry Police visited his family’s house and interrogated his kin, claiming that the move amounted to ‘intimidation’ at the behest of the Union Government.
Das posted the development on ‘X’, questioning the purpose of the police's visit and asking who had issued directives to them.
CJP spokesperson Saurav Das
The statement posted by him read, “Two hours ago, the Pondicherry Police showed up at my family’s home and subjected them to all kinds of questioning. Why this harassment, @PuducheryPolice? Who ordered this and for what purpose? Is this the legal procedure?”
Das raises questions on police action
The CJP spokesperson further alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Union government in Puducherry was trying to intimidate his family. He questioned whether such an action was consistent with the character of the Union Territory’s administration.
He asserted, “Why is the BJP government in Pondicherry intimidating my family? This is not the character of the Pondy government. This is being done at the behest of the Union government!”
Further in the post, he claimed that the police action was aimed at coercing him into remaining silent. However, he said the alleged intimidation would not deter him from resuming his political activities.
He then accused the authorities of failing to uphold the law and questioned whether the police action was part of a legitimate legal procedure.
CJP leader questions Minister Shah’s visit too
The CJP leader, continuing his attack on the Centre, linked the alleged police visit to Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s recent visit to Puducherry. He wrote on ‘X’, “Just two days ago, Amit Shah was in Puducherry, where he met its Home Minister and Lieutenant Governor,” referring to the Lieutenant Governor’s earlier association with Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi’s political tenure in Gujarat.
Das questioned whether the alleged intimidation had been discussed during that meeting, asking if the action had been ‘planned’ at the meeting.
Minister Amit Shah
Cops call action ‘routine security exercise’
However, the Puducherry Police offered a contrasting explanation behind the visit, saying the enquiries were part of routine security measures being undertaken ahead of Independence Day. As per police, enquiries were being conducted at houses and hotels in areas frequented by VIPs to determine whether any new people had recently arrived or were staying in Puducherry.
Representative image
The cops maintained that such inquiries were routine and formed part of the security arrangements being put in place ahead of the August 15 celebrations.