Trinamul Congress MP Mahua Moitra on Saturday wrote to the Delhi police commissioner claiming she was being put under “surveillance” after BSF personnel were purportedly deputed outside her residence in Lutyens Delhi.

The MP from Krishnagar in Bengal, known for her fiery speeches in Parliament, is facing a privilege motion brought against her in the Lok Sabha by BJP MPs for citing allegations of sexual misconduct against a former Chief Justice of India. While her remarks were expunged from the records, the BJP is seeking her dismissal from Parliament.

In her letter Moitra requested commissioner S.N. Shrivastava to “kindly remove the personnel immediately”.

She also took to Twitter to post a photo in which three paramilitary forces personnel were seen purportedly outside her residence.

“3 BSF men w/assault rifles outside my home. Say they are from Barakhamba Road police station for my ‘protection’. Still outside my home. Am a free citizen of India — people will protect me. Request Honb’le HM @AmitShah ji & @HMOIndia to remove immediately,” Moitra tweeted.

Delhi police report to Union home minister Amit Shah.

“Don’t waste resources on protecting just me, protect everybody. I don’t need anything special, I don’t take security. If you’re surveilling me, ask me & I’ll tell you. Indian democracy is already under threat, don’t make us feel like we’re living in Russian Gulag,” she said in another tweet.

“Our brave young men sign up for the BSF to guard India’s borders — using them for durwan duty outside my home is a bit silly, isn’t it, @CPDelhi, @MHAIndia?”
In her letter to the police commissioner, Moitra said the station house officer of Barakhamba Road police station had visited her at her residence around 6.30pm on Friday. She said that soon after, around 10pm, three BSF personnel “armed with assault rifles had been deputed outside my residence”.

“The conduct of these armed officers indicate that they are making notes of movements to and from my residence, it appears to me that I am under some sort of surveillance,” Moitra said in her letter.

Requesting Delhi police commissioner Shrivastava to withdraw the personnel, the MP said in her letter: “Upon making inquiries, I was informed that the armed officers had been deputed from police station Barakhamba Road for my protection. However, I being an ordinary citizen of this country, did neither ask nor want any such protection.”
Contacted, a home ministry spokesperson refused to comment.