Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar was in Barrackpore to attend a Martyrs' Day event
A day after he made a dramatic claim that a political conspiracy had prevented him from attending the Calcutta University convocation on Tuesday, the West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankar today publicly and angrily upbraided the Police Commissioner of Barrackpore, shouting at him for overlooking policemen of sitting and reading newspapers at a Martyr's Day event.
The incident took place early in the day at Gandhi Ghat in Barrackpore where Mr Dhankar had gone to observe the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
After the event was over, the governor was about to step into his vehicle when the police commissioner approached him and Mr Dhankar launched into an angry tirade, slamming Mr Manoj Verma for 'casual and farcical" handling of the Martyr's Day event.
Mr Dhankar confronted the officer, said the incident was a shame and demanded an official explanation
"Shame on us... there is no point in saying sorry. This is a serious lapse... Are we living in a state governed by rule of law? People in uniform do this? Where are we heading?" the Governor shouts at the top cop in public while he stands silently nodding his head.
When questioned about his outburst later, the Governor referred to the chaos at Calculate University and attacked the state of law and order in Bengal.
"Look around and see... this collapse of rule of law. Total lawlessness... no one respects law. People were supposed to be taking care of law have become law unto themselves. They have got into politics and bureaucracy... passing through very explosive situation," the Governor told reporters.
"Have you seen Calcutta University? Where was police? On this day let us believe in democracy... earned through the blood of people," he continued, his voice cracking in rage.
On Wednesday Mr Dhankar claimed to be in shock after protesting students kept him cooped up in a room for 30 minutes; the Governor was expecting to award Nobel laureate Abhijit Banerjee with an honorary degree.
Hinting at a conspiracy, the Governor - who has been involved in a public feud with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for months - said the events "did not happen spontaneously".
Tuesday's events were not the first time the Governor has faced the wrath of academics.
The last occasion was on December 24, when employees of Jadavpur University blockaded his car and stopped him from reaching the convocation venue.
The Chief Minister and her Trinamool Congress have accused Mr Dhankhar, who has been at the receiving end of protests against the citizenship law, of acting like a BJP stooge.
The Citizenship Amendment Act, or CAA, seeks to grant Indian citizenship to non-Muslim minorities from three neighbouring countries, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, if they escaped religious persecution and entered India before 2015.
It marks the first time religion has been used as a test of Indian citizenship. Critics say the law violates secular tenets of the Constitution and discriminates against Muslims.