And anyway, if we are to believe that the CM had rebuked Mukherjee, what sort of a person is the latter to hold on to his chair for so many days after the reported admonishment? Which self-respecting person would have continued in office for so long? And not only that, when asked for his reaction on Jyoti Basu's public censure of his statements and Basu's demand that such officers ought to step down, Prasun Mukherjee arrogantly said he had better things to do than resign!
Well Said
It was left to a frail old lady, Rizwanur's mother Kishwar Jahan, to put the action taken against the five police officers in perspective. She told mediapersons that the five have only been transferred, not suspended. And being the sort of persons that they are, they'll do the same (misuse and abuse their powers and positions to harass people and commit illegal acts) in whichever posts they hold. Quite right. One can't really expect the five to carry out their primary duty of upholding the law, having violated it as blatantly as they have done. They are like the proverbial rotten apples that ought to be thrown out of the basket immediately, lest they spread the rot. Is Buddhadeb listening?
Mischievous Ploy
A few artisans' designs to embarrass the five police officers, especially (former) police commissioner PrasunMukherjee, has been nipped. These idol-makers had reportedly planned to make the 'asura', who's defeated by Goddess Durga, as look-alikes of these police officers. They had obtained photographs of the five cops and were working on the clay images when the police got wind of their plans and stopped them. Would have made an apt sight, wouldn't it? Asuras looking like Prasun Mukherjee or his four juniors being vanquished by the Goddess? By the way, the twin developments—the Court order on CBI probe and the transfer of the five—fits in well with the spirit of the Durga Pujas that celebrate victory of good over evil. And while I'm on the rounds of the Puja 'pandals' over the next few days, I'll keep an eye out for any 'asura' who's depicted as a fat, balding bully.I am told that Ashok Todi's photos in the papers has done the rounds amongidol-makers too.
Warning Notes
The last day of the candlelight vigil saw some posters cautioning the CBI against any misadventure. One had a message for the new police commissioner Gautam Mohan Chakraborty. "Gautam, don't be a Buddha" it said. "Walk your talk", said another, referring to Chakraborty's promise that under him, the Kolkata Police would try to regain people's trust.