Kolkata, March 16 – The Election Commission of India (ECI) announced on Monday the replacement of key police officers in West Bengal, including the acting Director General of Police (DGP) Peeyush Pandey and Kolkata Police Commissioner Supratim Sarkar.
According to the Commission's order, Siddh Nath Gupta, an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of the 1992 batch, has been appointed as the new DGP, replacing the acting DGP Pandey.
Similarly, Ajay Kumar Nand, a 1996-batch IPS officer, has been appointed as the new Commissioner of Kolkata Police, replacing Sarkar.
Both Pandey and Sarkar were appointed on January 30.
Director General, Law & Order, Vineet Kumar Goyal, has also been removed and replaced by Ajay Mukud Ranade, a 1995-batch IPS officer, but as Additional Director General, Law & Order.
Goyal is a former Kolkata Police Commissioner, who was removed from the post shortly after his name came under scrutiny following the horrific rape and murder of a junior doctor at the state-run R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital in Kolkata within the hospital premises in August 2024.
In the same order, the Commission also ordered the posting of Natarajan Ramesh Babu, a 1991-batch IPS officer, as the Director General, Correctional Services.
Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, in his press conference on Sunday to announce the election dates, assured that elections in West Bengal would be peaceful and free from violence. In pursuance of this objective, the ECI issued these transfer orders.
The ECI had on Sunday night ordered the transfers of Chief Secretary, Nandini Chakraborty, and Home Secretary, Jagdish Prasad Meena, and that both would not be involved in any election-related duties.
While Dushyant Nariala replaced Chakraborty, Shanghamitra Ghosh replaced Meena.
Elections in West Bengal are scheduled to be held in two phases on April 23 and 29. Counting will take place on May 4.