West Bengal Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee was about to enter the State Raj Bhavan to attend the At Home reception hosted by Kolkata Governor C V Ananda Bose when she noticed that the personnel of the Kolkata Police band were conspicuously absent from the customary plan. Moreover, they were duly awaiting patiently permission to perform inside.
The presentation of the spectacular band performance, as a result, was delayed. So its headline-grabbing space in the media may have influenced more than usual. All those honoured guests seemed restrained, offering fewer reactions and soundbites that TV news reporters flock to pursue before the band beats emerged to run dim.
Visualising it very bad the CM tried to ask about this deficiency prevailing at particular moments. Her curiosity to know the gravity of the matter happened to be heightened again because of the ongoing presence of a central paramilitary force band at that urgent time. This particular band was performing there.
She began to think that the Kolkata Police band used to perform at such an important event every year, so why was the Police band not allowed inside the present period? Visibly upset, she questioned why the band was excluded, emphasising that it was customary for them to perform at the event. She insisted that the band be permitted entry, and even threatened not to enter the Raj Bhavan unless they were allowed to perform. The chief minister walked to the Raj Bhavan gate where the band was stationed and urged officials to allow them inside.
Reportedly, Officer-on-Special Duty at the Raj Bhavan, cleared that the Kolkata Police band was assigned a space to perform that was different from the usual practice.
However, OSD hastened to provide them a suitable place where they conducted. The Chief Minister of West Bengal listened to the Kolkata Police band for as many minutes as she stayed there positively.
Thereafter, the OSD reported this imperative matter to the State Governor, who ordered that any deviation from prerogative on ceremonial occasions should be accomplished only with the prior permission of the Raj Bhavan Chief of Staff.
The ‘At Home’ reception at Kolkata's Raj Bhavan on the occasion of the 76th Republic Day celebrations was marred by a brief fiasco on Sunday when West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee decided to protest after the band of Kolkata Police was not allowed to enter there, unlike that of the central paramilitary force, who were performing inside the Raj Bhavan premises during that time.
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