The Russian Consulate General in Kolkata has alleged that its diplomatic vehicle was stopped and subjected to attempted inspection by police personnel on two occasions in the last week.

The first incident reportedly occurred on April 14 at the intersection of Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Road and Rash Behari Avenue, while the second took place on April 16 at the Chetla Road-Kalighat Road crossing.

In a letter to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the Consulate has alleged that law enforcement personnel attempted to “forcefully inspect” the vehicle, despite being informed of its diplomatic status.

Invoking the provisions of the Vienna Convention, which grants immunity from search to diplomatic vehicles, the Consulate described the incidents as a violation and urged the MEA to take up the matter with the authorities concerned.

In response to this complaint, the MEA Kolkata Branch Secretariat escalated the matter to the state government. Consequently, Avadh Singhal (IAS), OSD and Under Secretary for the Government of West Bengal, issued an official communication on Friday. The letter was directed to top security and police officers, including the Director General and Inspector General of Police (DG & IGP), West Bengal, the Director of Security, and the Commissioner of Kolkata Police.

The state government has forwarded the MEA’s email for “perusal and taking necessary action” to ensure future compliance with diplomatic protocols. Handwritten notes on the document indicate that the order has since been marked for circulation within the traffic police department to alert field officers.

Notably, there is increased police vigilance in West Bengal as the state is going to the polls in two phases later this month.