The Trinamool Congress today voiced its displeasure publicly after the Election Commission ordered the immediate shunting out of State Director-General of Police Rajeev Kumar, who is seen to be an extremely close aide of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
The EC asked the State Chief Secretary to post Rajeev Kumar to a “non-election” related assignment with immediate effect and send a list of three names by 5 pm today to replace the incumbent DGP.
Based on the list sent by the State Government, the EC approved the appointment of Vivek Sahay as the new Director-General of Police for West Bengal. The State Government issued the order to appoint Sahay as the new DGP within minutes of getting the EC’s approval.
Rajeev Kumar, who was appointed as the DGP in December 2023 after the retirement of Manoj Malaviya, is known to be close to Mamata Banerjee. In 2019, in an unprecedented move, the CM had held a two-day dharna after the CBI accused Kumar, the then Kolkata Police Commissioner, of allegedly suppressing and destroying evidence in the investigation of the Saradha chit fund scam. The State Police had also prevented the CBI team from entering Rajeev Kumar’s official residence while the Chief Minister sat on dharna overnight on a main Kolkata thoroughfare to protest the CBI move.
Election Commission sources said that the poll panel often takes such steps in order to ensure a level-playing field during elections. The decision to shift the West Bengal DGP was taken as the officer was removed earlier too from active election management-related duty during the 2016 Assembly election in the State and in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the sources pointed out.
Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghosh hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the removal of the DGP by the Election Commission, saying that the move was a “reflection” of the ruling party.
“We have seen that the BJP is trying its best to grab different organisations including the ECI…They have taken over the control of Central agencies and different organisations. In this case also, after the announcement of the Lok Sabha elections…what we saw today, is the reflection of the BJP,” Kunal Ghosh said.
He added: “They know that in the Lok Sabha election, BJP will be defeated in most of the seats in West Bengal…Their organisation is very poor, very weak…We are confident that BJP may transfer a few officers but the public is with Trinamool Congress and didi (Mamata Banerjee). The TMC will defeat the BJP again.”