The Kolkata Police has started the process to bring back 82 junior-level police officers who were transferred to punishment postings in districts ten years ago, in 2016, for allegedly being impartial during the Assembly elections. This action was reportedly taken by the previous West Bengal government led by Mamata Banerjee for following Election Commission guidelines and disregarding verbal orders from ruling party leaders.
During the tenure of Rajeev Kumar, who was then the Commissioner of Kolkata Police, these officers were moved to other districts. In 2024, Vineet Kumar Goyal, the city police commissioner at the time, attempted to recall these officers to address the manpower needs after the inclusion of the Bhangar Division under Kolkata Police’s jurisdiction. However, the proposal did not receive higher authorities’ approval.
The current Kolkata Police Commissioner, Ajay Nand, has now initiated the formal process to bring back these officers. He has written to the state home department seeking permission for their return and has also requested the transfer of some state police officers to Kolkata Police to alleviate the current manpower shortage until new recruitments are made.
The proposal is pending approval from the state home department, as there are currently 673 vacancies for sub-inspectors in Kolkata Police. The shortage of staff at the sub-inspector level, crucial for the investigation process at various levels, often disrupts the smooth functioning of operations, according to a city police insider.
