On Tuesday the protests – against the arrests in the Narada case – were more remarkable – eight sheep, of which six were white and two black, were involved

Bengal governor Jagdeep Dhankhar has taken serious offence at protests at the gates of his residence – Raj Bhavan in Kolkata – on Monday and Tuesday. He tweeted this morning to demand an explanation from the city’s police chief by 5 pm.

The protests – against the arrests of members of the ruling Trinamool in connection with the Narada bribery case – were unremarkable on Monday were routine and did not invite his immediate wrath.

On Tuesday they were decidedly more remarkable – eight sheep, of which six were white and two black, were involved. They were brought by a young man wearing a kurta and jeans. The repeated offence irked Mr Dhankhar.

“State of law and order even at the main entry gate of Raj Bhavan worrisome with stance of police leaving all to be desired and all this when the area is subject to prohibitory orders,” the governor tweeted, tagging Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Kolkata Police in his tweet.

The young man who brought the sheep later identified himself as Suman Mitra and said he was a member of CADPC (Citizens Against Dirty Politics and Corruption) and was protesting the governor’s indifference to the COVID-19 crisis in the state.

“There are no beds no hospitals in this crisis and there is no sign of the governor,” he said.

Covid cases in Bengal have skyrocketed since the first week of April, when it was reporting fewer than 1,500 new cases per day. The state now has over 1.3 lakh active infections.

On-duty police, initially taken aback by the sudden arrival of Mr Mitra and his four-legged retinue, soon responded and hustled them away within minutes.

Nevertheless, the governor has now sought an explanation from the police chief for both events – the ‘protesting’ sheep and the officers’ reaction to the event.

In a letter he shared on Twitter, the governor claimed the police gave “a free hand to unruly elements” and there was no attempt to ascertain the motives of the man who arrived with the sheep; “… this person was simply allowed to leave the spot,” Mr Dhankhar wrote.

The arrest of the Trinamool leaders came after the governor last week approved the CBI’s request to prosecute ministers Subrata Mukherjee and Firhad Hakim and MLA Madan Mitra.

The arrest of former Trinamool leader Sovan Chatterjee who left the party in August 2019 to join the BJP, which he quit in March, was also approved.