Former IPS officer Bharati Ghosh, who is contesting on a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ticket from West Bengal’s Ghatal, landed in a controversy for threatening Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers on Saturday.

Ghosh, who joined the BJP in February, allegedly told a bunch of TMC workers that they will be “beaten like dogs”.

“You are threatening people to not cast their votes. I will drag you out of your houses and thrash you like dogs. I will call a thousand people from Uttar Pradesh to beat you up,” Ghosh told the workers, while repeatedly warning them not to terrify voters.

Reacting to Ghosh’s comments, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee warned the former IPS officer not to cross Laxman Rekha.

After holding a road show on Chandrakona Road in Ghatal, the TMC chief said that had her government wanted it could have kept Ghosh behind bars.

“If I make public the SMSes that you had sent to me as a police officer, I won’t have to say anything more against you. You must remember there are so many cases against you. Had we wished to keep you behind bars, we could have arrested you,” she said.

“We have shown a nice gesture and so you are contesting elections. Do not cross the Laxman rekha (limit). You do not have the power to even fight in Gram sabha elections,” Banerjee said.

The Election Commission has taken suo motu cognizance of the incident involving Ghosh and sought a report from the district administration.

Ghosh was the SP of West Midnapore SP for more than six years. She resigned from service in December 2017 after she was transferred as commandant of the third battalion of the state armed police.

An arrest warrant was issued against Ghosh in February 2018 following her resignation in connection with an extortion case registered at Daspur police station in West Midnapore district.

West Bengal CID had recently interrogated the former IPS officer in the extortion case.

On Friday, the Supreme Court ordered the former IPS officer to appear for questioning before the West Bengal CID on 14 May, two days after polling takes place in Ghatal.

Ghosh was recently accused of threatening the Officer-in-Charge of Keshpur police station.

(With inputs from agencies.)