Kolkata/New Delhi: Just a day before the retirement of West Bengal Director General of Police (DGP) Rajeev Kumar, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday carried out a major reshuffle in the state and Kolkata Police administration, appointing IPS officer Peeyush Pandey as Acting DGP and Supratim Sarkar as the new Commissioner of Kolkata Police. The reshuffle, one of the most extensive in recent times, comes ahead of the crucial Assembly elections.
In a move that surprised many within the administration, the state government also ordered the transfer of 52 officers across the upper echelons of Kolkata Police, including Commissioners, Additional DGPs, and Officers-in-Charge (OCs) of several police stations.
Piyush Pandey Appointed Acting DGP of West Bengal
With the tenure of outgoing DGP Rajeev Kumar ending on January 31, speculation was rife over his successor. While Rajeev Kumar’s name was reportedly among the candidates proposed to the Centre for appointment as permanent DGP, complications arose due to the UPSC’s reluctance to comply with a CAT order directing it to shortlist three names from a panel of eight sent by the state.
Caught in this procedural impasse, the state government appointed Peeyush Pandey, a 1993-batch IPS officer, as Acting Director General of Police.
Mr Pandey is an IIT Kanpur M.Tech graduate and also holds a degree in law. He has prior experience in the Special Protection Group (SPG) and was appointed Director (Security) in 2022 following a security breach at Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s Kalighat residence, when an intruder attempted to enter with arms. Since then, Pandey had been heading the state’s revamped VVIP security wing.
Manoj Verma Shifted; Supratim Sarkar Appointed Kolkata Police Commissioner
One of the biggest surprises of the reshuffle was the change at the helm of Kolkata Police.
- Manoj Verma, the outgoing Kolkata Police Commissioner, has been removed from the post and appointed Director (Security), replacing Peeyush Pandey.
- Supratim Sarkar, previously serving as ADG (South Bengal), has been appointed the new Commissioner of Kolkata Police.
With this appointment, Mr Sarkar becomes the first “son-of-the-soil” Bengali officer to head Kolkata Police since Soumen Mitra, whose second term ended in 2021.
A 1997-batch IPS officer and an Economics graduate from Presidency College, Sarkar has extensive experience in city policing and has earlier served as Additional Commissioner of Police, Kolkata. He is widely regarded as an efficient officer, with a reputation dating back to the Left Front era.
Key ADG-Level Changes Ahead of Elections
Several important ADG-level postings were also reshuffled, underscoring the election-time significance of the moves:
- Vineet Goyal has been brought back as ADG (Law & Order), a critical post during elections due to coordination with the Election Commission and CAPF units under the Model Code of Conduct.
- Javed Shamim has been shifted to take charge as ADG, Special Task Force (STF).
- Anuj Sharma, DGP (Armed Police), has been transferred as DGP (Fire), replacing Ranveer Kumar, who retires on Saturday.
This move assumes significance in the wake of the Anandapur warehouse fire, which has claimed 27 lives so far.
Massive Reshuffle Within Kolkata Police Headquarters
The reshuffle extended deep into the operational structure of Kolkata Police. A total of 52 Inspector-rank officers were transferred across departments and police stations, including:
- 47 Officers-in-Charge (OCs) and Additional OCs
- Changes across eight women’s police stations
- Multiple sensitive police station postings reshuffled
Officials said the scale of the reshuffle, coming just before Assembly elections, was highly significant.
Police Station-Level Transfers Across Kolkata
Several notable OC-level changes were made –
- Prasun Dey Sarkar (Haridevpur) given charge of Anandapur PS, following concerns after the godown fire.
- Sanjay Mukherjee moved from Panchasayar to South Port.
- Chaitanya Chapai shifted from Hastings to Panchasayar.
- Subrata Das moved from South Port to Hastings.
- Hirak Dalpati transferred from Girish Park to Park Street.
- Samarendra Chakraborty moved from Charu Market to Girish Park.
- Sushanta Kundu shifted from Taratala to Charu Market.
- Bappaditya Naskar moved from Park Street to Bowbazar.
- Saikat Niyogi transferred from Amherst Street to Behala.
- Prasenjit Poddar moved from Beleghata to Amherst Street.
- Animesh Howlader transferred from Behala to Tiljala.
- Supratik Bandyopadhyay shifted from Tiljala to Sinthi.
- Surajit Bandyopadhyay moved from Phoolbagan to Haridevpur.
- Alok Sarkar transferred from New Alipore to Phoolbagan.
- Arijit Chatterjee moved from Regent Park to Beleghata.
- Rakesh Kumar Singh shifted from Thakurpukur to Beniapukur.
Changes in City Suburbs and Bidhannagar
Key changes were also made in suburban police jurisdictions:
Murli Dhar has been appointed Bidhannagar Police Commissioner, replacing Mukesh.
Mukesh was earlier among senior officers show-caused following the Messi event fiasco at Salt Lake Stadium, though no punitive action was taken at that time.
Political and Administrative Significance
The timing, scale, and spread of the reshuffle underline the state government’s intent to tighten administrative and law-and-order control ahead of Assembly elections. With key positions like DGP, Kolkata Police Commissioner, ADG (Law & Order), and multiple police stations reshuffled, the move is being seen as one of the last and most consequential policing overhauls before polls.
