West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday said she will confer the state’s highest honours to the Indian Police Service officers who had allegedly participated in her protest against the Central Bureau of Investigation earlier this week if the Centre decides to take away their medals.

Reports had claimed on Thursday that the Centre was planning such an action against West Bengal Director General of Police Virendra Kumar, Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar, Assitant Director General Vineet Kumar Goel, Assistant Director General (law and order) Anuj Sharma, Bidhannagar Police Commissioner Gyanwant Singh and Additional Commissioner of Police Supratim Sarkar. The Ministry of Home Affairs had also reportedly decided that the officers will not be assigned central government duties in the future.

“I will give these five senior officials the highest state honour ‘Bangabibhusan’ if the Centre takes back their medals,” Banerjee said, PTI reported. She was speaking on the sidelines of the Bengal Global Business Summit. “Also, I will send a strongly-worded letter, if they send me one.”

Denying the charge that they had participated in her protest, she said they were present at the venue to oversee security.

On Tuesday, the Ministry of Home Affairs had asked the West Bengal government to initiate disciplinary proceedings against Rajeev Kumar for allegedly violating service rules.

The stand-off between the state and the CBI began after a CBI team reached Kumar’s home to question him on Sunday evening. Police officials stopped them and detained five members of the team for around two hours. Banerjee came out in Kumar’s support and called the CBI action a “coup” by the Centre. She then started a dharna.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed Kumar to cooperate with the CBI in its inquiry in the Rose Valley and Saradha chit fund scams. The court said no coercive steps, including arrest, can be taken against the police officer but issued contempt notice to Kumar, Director General of Police Virendra and the West Bengal government, and asked them to file replies by February 18. After the court’s order, Banerjee ended her three-day dharna and claimed that it was a moral victory for the state police.

The Central Bureau of Investigation on Thursday summoned Rajeev Kumar for questioning on February 9 in connection with the Saradha chit fund scam. He will be interrogated in Shillong.

Modi is the ‘master of corruption’

Banerjee also claimed that the Rafale deal was “one of the biggest scams in the country” and labelled the prime minister the “master of corruption”.

“I do not know how much money changed hands or what had happened, but certainly there must be something behind the curtain,” she said. “Rafale deal is a big scam and I support the Congress’ views on it.”

Banerjee was also angry after Modi inaugurated the Jalpaiguri circuit bench of the Calcutta High Court, PTI reported. She claimed that both her government and the court had been kept in the dark. “Land is ours, circuit bench is of the high court,” she said. “Neither the groom nor the bride are present but the band wala is there.”

The chief minister also rejected Modi’s claim that “the insensitive government in the state has not been able to start the circuit bench for so long”. Banerjee said that she and former Calcutta High Court Chief Justice Debasish Kar Gupta had planned to inaugurate the circuit bench four months ago but the Centre did not issue any notification. The chief minister claimed that Modi had now decided to inaugurate the bench “to score some political brownie points”.

“Was anyone from the High Court present?” Banerjee asked.”Neither the state nor the High Court was informed. Modi inaugurated it only because the Lok Sabha elections are approaching.”