Election Commission of India reshuffles police leadership in poll-bound West Bengal; appoints new DGP and Kolkata Police commissioner

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday transferred four senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officers in West Bengal, including the state’s Director General of Police and the Commissioner of Kolkata Police.

The move comes a day after the ECI announced a two-phase poll in West Bengal scheduled for April 23 and April 29. Late Monday night, the poll panel had also transferred the state’s chief secretary and home secretary.

“The Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, in his press conference yesterday, had assured that elections in West Bengal would be violence-free and peaceful. In pursuance of this objective, ECI has appointed and transferred senior police officials in the state, including the DGP of the state police and the CP of Kolkata Police,” a senior ECI official said.

Siddh Nath Gupta, a 1992-batch IPS officer, will replace Peeyush Pandey as the new DGP of West Bengal. Ajay Kumar Nand will take over as the new Commissioner of Kolkata Police, replacing Supratim Sarkar.

In addition, Natarajan Ramesh Babu has been appointed as the new Director General of correctional services, while Ajay Mukund Ranade has been posted as the new Additional Director General (Law and Order).