West Bengal Govt Sets Up Commission To Probe Spying Allegations Using Pegasus
Mumbai: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said her government has formed an inquiry commission to look into the allegations of “illegal hacking, monitoring, surveillance and recording of mobile phones” using Israeli spyware Pegasus.
In a special cabinet meeting chaired by the Chief Minister earlier in the day, it was decided to form a panel with members of retired judges.
“We thought that the Center would set up a commission of inquiry to probe this phone-hacking incident or order a court-monitored probe. But the Center is sitting idle… So we decided to form a ‘commission on inquiry’ to look into the matter,” she said at a press conference here.
The two-member commission will be headed by former Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court Jyotirmoy Bhattacharya. Former Supreme Court judge Madan Bhimrao Lokur is its other member.
“The names of the people of West Bengal are included in the Pegasus target list. The Center is trying to spy on everyone. The commission will find out the details about this illegal hacking,” the chief minister said.
Media reports claimed that Pegasus spyware was used to infiltrate phones and monitor political leaders, government officials and journalists, sparking massive political controversy in the country and other parts of the world.
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