Kolkata, April 4 – The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wrote a letter to the West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Manoj Kumar Agarwal, on Saturday, seeking the removal of Kolkata Police officers Shantanu Sinha Biswas (Deputy Commissioner of Police), Bijitaswa Routh (Inspector-in-Charge), and Rahul Amin Ali Shah (Sub-Inspector) for alleged biased and compromised roles.
"It has come to our attention that Deputy Commissioner of Police Shantanu Sinha Biswas and Bijitaswa Routh (Inspector-in-Charge), and Rahul Amin Ali Shah (Sub-Inspector) of the Kolkata Police are making appeals to ensure the victory of their "guardian" Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the ruling TMC at the State Conference of the West Bengal Police Welfare Committee," the letter stated.
The BJP also submitted a video to the State CEO office in this regard.
The BJP also said that complaints against the said Kolkata Deputy Commissioner of Police Shantanu Sinha Biswas were made before the full bench of the Election Commission of India on March 9. However, no action has been taken.
"It is important to note that during the 2021 Vidhan Sabha Elections, the said Shantanu Sinha Biswas (now DCP) was transferred to Cooch Behar after elections had concluded in that area. This ensured that he was not physically present in any area where voting was still to be held. The integrity of the electoral process relies heavily on the neutrality and unbiased functioning of all officials involved, particularly those entrusted with maintaining law and order," the BJP said in the letter.
"In view of the above, I humbly request your office to kindly take appropriate steps without any further delay to ensure that the said officers are removed from West Bengal until the conclusion of the electoral process," the letter noted.
This development came after the Trinamool Congress sought the immediate removal of the Returning Officer for the Bhabanipur Assembly constituency, alleging he had proximity with BJP candidate Suvendu Adhikari.
In a representation submitted to Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal on Friday, the Trinamool Congress raised objections to the appointment of Returning Officer Surajit Roy for the Bhabanipur seat in southern Kolkata.