West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose filed a defamation case against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at the Calcutta High Court on Friday. This action followed a statement by Banerjee the previous day, where she claimed that women had expressed fear of visiting the Raj Bhavan due to certain activities there, according to a source.

Earlier in the day, Mr. Bose criticized Banerjee for her remarks, stating that it is expected of public representatives not to create "erroneous and slanderous impressions."

The Bengal governor also filed a defamation suit against certain TMC leaders for making similar remarks, according to the source.

During an administrative meeting at the state secretariat on Thursday, Ms. Banerjee claimed that "Women have informed her they are afraid to visit Raj Bhavan due to recent incidents reported there."

"Governor CV Ananda Bose on Friday moved the Calcutta High Court and filed a defamation suit against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her party leaders for their comments," the source told PTI.

On May 2, a contractual woman employee of Raj Bhavan alleged molestation by Bose, prompting the Kolkata Police to start a probe. When contacted, TMC Rajya Sabha MP Dola Sen stated that she could not comment on the matter without discussing it with the party leadership.

"I have to talk to my party leadership to find out what actually happened. This is quite a sensitive matter," Dola Sen told PTI.

Senior BJP leader Rahul Sinha said that Mr Bose took the right decision.

"I think Governor Bose has taken the right decision. He should have taken this decision long back. I fully support him for this," Mr Sinha said.

Veteran CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty remarked that the ongoing tussle between Bose and Banerjee is not beneficial for the state.

"It's actually taking us down. They seem to have forgotten their Constitutional responsibilities. Their acts are damaging West Bengal's image at the national level," Mr. Chakraborty commented.