All civic volunteers attached with Kolkata police have been barred from using police stickers or emblems on their personal vehicles.
An instruction has been issued from the city police headquarters at Lalbazar to all the departments of police on Thursday.
The move came a day after a Tata Sumo, which had at least two “Kolkata police” stickers on it, was involved in multiple accidents in Bansdroni, south of Tollygunge. Initially, the cops thought it was a police vehicle but later found that it belonged to a civic volunteer.
The instruction issued from the office of joint commissioner of police (headquarters) on Thursday read: “All unit heads…will ensure that no Civic Volunteer under their control, displays ‘POLICE’ sticker / label or ‘KOLKATA POLICE’ logo / emblem on his or her personal two wheeler or vehicle. A strict vigil over this has to be maintained henceforth.”
On Wednesday, apart from arresting the driver for reckless driving, the police had identified and arrested the car owner — Debasish Bhattacharjee — who is a civic volunteer attached with Kolkata police.
A resident of Naskarpara Road in Bansdroni, Bhattacharjee, 37, was arrested for alleged impersonation of a police officer and unauthorised use of police stickers.
Civic volunteers are recruited on contract and are not staff of the police force.
Bangladesh national found dead in Park Circus hotel
A Bangladeshi national, identified by police as Tanveer Naim, was found dead inside a hotel room in Park Circus in south Kolkata on Thursday.
Police said a preliminary probe revealed that Naim had come to Kolkata in April on a medical visa for treatment.
On Thursday, when the hotel management got no response from Naim, they alerted the police. The cops broke open the door of the room and found Naim lying on the floor.
“There were no marks of injury on the body,” a police officer said.