The Army’s Eastern Command has formally approached West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose seeking his intervention after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee alleged that a senior serving officer was operating from the Fort William base in Kolkata to assist a political party’s interests during the Special Intensive Revision exercise.The command, headquartered at Fort William, conveyed to Raj Bhavan that the allegation had the potential to undermine the constitutional neutrality of the armed forces and damage public confidence in the institution. Officials familiar with the communication said the Army rejected the charge as unfounded and stressed that no serving officer had been assigned, formally or informally, to any political or electoral activity.
The allegation was made by Banerjee during a public address earlier this week, where she claimed that a senior officer was working on the SIR exercise at the behest of the Bharatiya Janata Party while using facilities at the Eastern Command base. The assertion triggered swift political reactions and prompted the Army to seek a constitutional channel to clarify its position rather than engage in a public exchange.
In its representation to the Governor, the Eastern Command underlined that Fort William is a high-security military installation and that its facilities are used strictly for operational, administrative, and ceremonial purposes. Any suggestion that the base was being used for partisan political work, the Army said, was “incorrect and misleading”, according to officials briefed on the contents of the letter.
Governor Bose, a former civil servant with experience in internal security and constitutional affairs, is understood to have acknowledged the Army’s communication. Raj Bhavan sources indicated that the Governor is examining the matter within the limits of his constitutional role, which does not extend to directing either the state government or the armed forces but allows him to seek factual clarifications and convey concerns to relevant authorities.
The Chief Minister’s remarks came amid heightened political tensions in the state over the SIR exercise, a process overseen by the Election Commission of India to update electoral rolls. Opposition parties in West Bengal have raised concerns about the exercise, alleging selective exclusions, while the Commission has maintained that the process follows established legal procedures and safeguards.
Army officials emphasised that serving personnel are bound by strict service rules that bar them from political activity. These regulations, enshrined in the Army Act and reinforced through internal codes of conduct, are designed to preserve the apolitical character of the force. Any deviation, officials said, would invite swift disciplinary action, a point raised in the communication to the Governor to underline institutional safeguards.
Political responses have reflected sharp divisions. Leaders from the ruling Trinamool Congress defended Banerjee’s comments as a warning against what they described as the politicisation of institutions, while figures from the BJP dismissed the allegation as baseless and accused the Chief Minister of dragging the armed forces into partisan debate. Senior Army veterans, speaking privately, expressed concern that repeated political references to the military risk eroding its carefully maintained distance from electoral politics.
Security analysts note that the Eastern Command’s decision to approach the Governor is unusual but significant. Rather than issuing a strongly worded public rebuttal, the Army appears to have opted for a constitutional route to ensure that its position is formally recorded and conveyed without escalating the political temperature. This approach aligns with a long-standing institutional preference to remain above political contestation.
Fort William itself occupies a sensitive place in the state’s history and administration. Beyond being the Eastern Command’s headquarters, it is also used for ceremonial events involving state authorities, which sometimes fuels public speculation about civil-military interactions. Army officials said such ceremonial engagements should not be conflated with operational or administrative functions.
The episode has renewed discussion about the boundaries between political rhetoric and institutional integrity. Former election officials have pointed out that the SIR exercise is conducted by the Election Commission through civilian administrative machinery, leaving little scope for military involvement. They caution that allegations involving the armed forces should be handled with restraint, given the potential implications for civil-military relations.