Withdraw plea for independent inquiry: SC to wife of retired IPS officer who blamed Mamata Banerjee

New Delhi, July 20: Supreme Court has allowed Sreyashi Dutt, wife of former senior police officer Gaurav Dutt who allegedly committed suicide and accused West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, to withdraw her plea for independent inquiry into the death of her husband.

Earlier, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was under a sharp attack from opposition leaders after the retired IPS officer Gaurav Chandra Dutt committed suicide on February 19 this year.

Dutt, a 1986 batch IPS retired on 31 December 2018 after remaining on compulsory wait for nearly a decade.

The officer committed suicide by slashing his wrist after sending out an eight-page letter in which he blamed the system for punishing him for 10 years without a proper hearing.

The deceased's father, Gopal Dutt, was former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's security officer.

In the suicide note, Dutt said, "CM is directly responsible for my action in the form of abetment."

Accusing Mamata Banerjee of harassment, Dutt wrote, "CM refuses to close my 2 pending proceeding cases. One case file is lost deliberately by WB govt. In 2nd case no corruption charge could be substantiated. Even DG requested CM but she refused to close cases."

He alleged in his note that the CM had blocked his honest hard earned savings. "This vindictiveness of CM is unparalleled," Dutt wrote.

The retired IPS officer wrote that after his step, the government will be bound to release his savings.

He said he decided to take the step to highlight problems of "genuine" officers in Bengal. "If one can't live with honour it is better to die with honour," Dutt wrote.