The Bengal government on Tuesday transferred several senior police officers across districts in what is being seen as an attempt to curb lawlessness in certain pockets and stop factional feuds within Trinamul.

As many as 17 officers have been transferred from their present posting to their new roles, the biggest shunt in recent times, said a source.

One of the significant transfers was that of Avijit Banerjee, the Diamond Harbour superintendent of police now shifted to Ranaghat, a source said.

Banerjee has been replaced with Dhritiman Sarkar, who was the superintendent of police of Bankura district.

While senior officials in the home department termed this “routine”, insiders in Nabanna claimed that Sarkar had been specifically briefed about firmly handling the alleged infighting within the party in the backyard of Abhishek Banerjee, Trinauml’s general secretary and Diamond Harbour MP.

“A little over a week ago, infighting between two groups within the party had come to the fore after Abhishek had directed distribution of some materials in his constituency,”said a senior leader. “The clash was between two groups, one allegedly led by Gautam Adhikari, a youth leader, and Sujauddin Sanfui, block president of the minority cell.”

In another change, the home department shifted Pradeep Kumar Yadav from the CID to Malda as its police superintendent.

Senior party leaders of Malda have alleged factional feuds within Trinamul. Several of them have complained about two prominent nodes, one that has former state minister and state secretary Krishnendu Narayan Chowdhury aligning with former district Trinamul president and Rajya Sabha member Mausam Benazir Noor and the other has Sabina Yeasmin, a junior minister in the cabinet.

“Officers have been selected for the specific postings on the basis of their previous records and their ability to handle law and order,” said a senior officer of the home department.

Senior officers in the state police said several officers of the rank of additional superintendents of police have been transferred and given tougher responsibilities to test their abilities in handling law and order.

Shraddha N. Pandey, an officer on special duty in the office of the police superintendent of East Midnapore, for instance, has been transferred to Haldia as additional SP.

Pushpa has been transferred to Baruipur from Kharagpur as the head of its police district in the rank of police superintendent.