The Election Commission of India on Friday night removed four Bengal IPS officers, including the police commissioners of Calcutta and Bidhannagar, and instructed the state government not to involve the officers in “any election-related duties”.
The commission told the chief secretary in a letter on Friday night that after a “review of the poll-preparedness” in Bengal, the commission had decided to transfer with “immediate effect” Calcutta police commissioner Anuj Sharma and Bidhannagar commissioner Gyanwant Singh.
The Opposition welcomed the move and said they had lodged with the EC multiple complaints of bias against the two officers.
Rajesh Kumar, posted as additional director-general of the West Bengal Pollution Control Board, replaces Sharma as Calcutta police chief. Kumar had served as ADG of the Bengal CID.
N.R. Babu, posted as ADG operations, has been appointed Bidhannagar police commissioner in place of Singh.
Sharma had taken over as commissioner on February 19. Sharma and Singh had been seen near the venue of Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s dharna in February after the CBI tried to visit the house of then Calcutta police commissioner Rajeev Kumar.
The police superintendents of Birbhum and Diamond Harbour have also been transferred.
A. Ravindranath, deputy commissioner (airport), replaces Shyam Singh as Birbhum police chief. Srihari Pandey, Calcutta Armed Police deputy commissioner, has been made the Diamond Harbour SP, replacing Selvamurugan.
The EC letter to the Bengal chief secretary, signed by poll panel secretary Rakesh Kumar, said: “The present incumbent officers being shifted not to be involved by the state government in any election-related duties.”
It is up to the Bengal government to give new postings to the transferred officers. The EC’s decision will be in place till the results are announced.
This is not the first time the EC has removed the Calcutta police commissioner before an election. In 2016, then city police chief Rajeev Kumar was transferred and replaced with Soumen Mitra in the run-up to the Assembly elections.
Ahead of the 2011 Assembly elections, the EC had instructed the removal of then Calcutta police commissioner Gautam Mohan Chakrabarti, appointing R.K. Pachnanda in his place.
Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh welcomed the EC’s decision on Friday.
“These officers, some were seen at dharnas with the chief minister; others had questionable roles elsewhere…. There have been complaints of bias, so the commission acted on them. We appreciate it,” Ghosh said.
CPM central committee member Sujan Chakraborty and Congress MP Pradip Bhattacharya hailed the move. “There are so many more in the civil and police administration who must be acted against,” Chakraborty said.
Trinamul Congress leaders declined comment, saying they were awaiting instructions from party chief Mamata Banerjee.
A Trinamul leader said the EC was well within its rights to make such changes while the model code was in place. “However, the commission should pay heed not just to the concerns of the Opposition, but also to those raised by us,” the leader said.
