The West Bengal Government has revealed a significant reorganization within the state police force in preparation for the upcoming Assembly elections. A total of 26 senior police officials, comprising members of the Indian Police Service (IPS) and West Bengal Police Service (WBPS), have been reassigned, according to a notification from the West Bengal Police Directorate. Notably, 23 of the transferred officers belong to the IPS, with the remainder from the state police service.
The reshuffle involves three Deputy Inspector Generals (DIG) of police, six officials in Superintendent, Deputy Commissioner, or Commandant roles, and the rest in the Additional Superintendent rank. One notable change is the transfer of the DIG of the Midnapore Range, with Anup Jaiswal moving to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and Arijit Sinha taking over the Midnapore Range.
Srihari Pandey, the Superintendent of Police in Kalimpong, has been promoted to DIG, Intelligence Branch, for North Bengal. The state government has characterized these transfers as routine and in the public interest. However, the recent changes do not affect the current district Superintendents of Police.
In anticipation of the upcoming crucial Assembly elections later this year, the state has witnessed a series of alterations and reassignments among senior police officials. These changes extend to junior-level officers like Deputy Superintendents of Police, Sub-Divisional Police Officers, Inspectors, and Sub-Inspectors of police. The reorganization encompasses the state police, Kolkata Police, and other Police Commissionerates.
