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Bengal Govt Reassigns Police Officers Hours After Election Panel Transfers

The West Bengal government reassigned several senior police officers to new posts on Monday, just hours after the Election Commission of India ordered their transfer. The ECI had removed officers including the Kolkata Police Commissioner and the DGP (Law and Order) from their positions. The state government then appointed them to different roles, such as Director of Security and ADG (CID), though they are barred from election-related work. This swift action follows the imposition of the Model Code of Conduct for the two-phase Bengal assembly elections in April.

Key Points: Bengal Govt Gives New Postings to ECI-Transferred Police Officers

  • ECI removed key police chiefs
  • State govt gave them new posts same day
  • Officers barred from poll duty
  • Bengal votes in two phases
2 min read

West Bengal govt gives new postings to police officers transferred by ECI

West Bengal government reassigns top police officers to new posts hours after the Election Commission of India ordered their transfer ahead of state polls.

"The officers removed from their posts would not be assigned any election-related responsibilities until the completion of the electoral process. - Election Commission of India"

Kolkata, March 16

Several West Bengal Police and Kolkata Police officers who were transferred by the Election Commission of India earlier in the day were given new postings by the state government on Monday.

The Election Commission removed officers holding the posts of Director General of Police (DGP), Kolkata Police Commissioner, DGP (Law and Order) and DGP (Prisons). Within a few hours, the state government reassigned the removed officers to new positions.

Piyush Pandey has been appointed as Director of Security. Until now, he had been serving as the Director General of Police.

Manoj Verma, who previously held the post of Director of Security, has been transferred and posted as Additional Director General (ADG) of Security.

Kolkata Police Commissioner Supratim Sarkar was also removed from his post. Ajay Kumar Nand has been appointed as the new Commissioner of Police in Kolkata.

Following his removal, Supratim Sarkar has been appointed as Additional Director General (CID). He has also been given the additional charge of ADG (Intelligence Branch) for Kolkata.

The Commission also ordered changes in the posts of DGP (Law and Order) and DGP (Prisons).

Vineet Goyal, who had been serving as DGP (Law and Order), has been appointed as the Director General of the State Intelligence Branch.

Ajay Mukund Ranade has been appointed as Additional Director General (Law and Order).

Natarajan Ramesh Babu has been appointed as Director General (Prisons).

Lakshmi Narayan Meena, who earlier served as ADG (CID), has now been assigned the charge of ADG (Prisons).

Earlier in the day, the Election Commission had announced that the officers removed from their posts would not be assigned any election-related responsibilities until the completion of the electoral process.

Accordingly, the state government reassigned them to other posts later in the afternoon.

On Sunday, the Election Commission announced the poll schedule for four states -- including West Bengal -- and one Union Territory.

While voting in the other states will be held in a single phase, the Assembly elections in West Bengal will take place in two phases on April 23 and April 29.

Immediately after the announcement of the election schedule, the Model Code of Conduct came into force across the state.

During this period, the Election Commission exercises special powers over the administrative machinery.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

P
Priyanka N
Typical political games during election season. The state govt is finding loopholes. The ECI said no election-related work, so they're given other posts. Technically following the letter, but definitely not the spirit of the law. 🤦‍♀️
R
Rahul R
The ECI must act more firmly. If officers are transferred for potential bias, they should be sent on compulsory leave or given non-sensitive desk jobs until polls are over. This musical chairs of postings helps no one.
A
Aman W
As a citizen of Kolkata, I just want peaceful and fair elections. All this bureaucracy and reshuffling is confusing. Hope the new police commissioner ensures law and order properly. That's all that matters to common people like us.
M
Michael C
Observing from outside, this seems like a clever bureaucratic maneuver. The state government is testing the limits of the ECI's authority. It will be interesting to see if the Commission issues a clarification or stronger orders.
K
Kavya N
Respectfully, I think we should trust the ECI's process. They have the data and intelligence we don't. If they felt a transfer was needed, there must be a reason. The quick reassignment by the state does raise eyebrows, I agree.

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

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