Mamata Banerjee govt promotes IPS officer caught in row over attack on JP Nadda's convoy
29-December-2020

The Mamata Banerjee government has promoted and transferred several IPS officers, including the two officers who were called by the Centre on deputation following an attack on BJP national president JP Nadda's convoy during his visit to West Bengal earlier this month.

As many as 20 IPS officers were transferred on Monday, while 13 others were promoted, the notification issued by the state government said.

While Diamond Harbour Police District SP Bholanath Pandey was shifted to a lesser important post of SP Home Guard, the state promoted Inspector General of Police, South Bengal, Rajeev Mishra as the Additional Director General of Police in the same zone.

The government left untouched the third IPS officer- DIG (Presidency Range) Praveen Kumar Tripathi- who remains on the same post.

Rajeev Mishra, Bholanath Pandey and Praveen Tripathi were in-charge of Nadda�s security when his convoy was attacked on December 10 on way to Diamond Harbour for a party programme.

Stones were rained in a torrent, shattering windscreens of vehicles when the convoy of Nadda came under attack by alleged TMC supporters in West Bengal, leaving several people injured.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) took note of the incident and had summoned these three IPS officers to serve on central deputation. The Bengal government had, however, declined to relieve them for the central posting and intimated this to the centre.

When contacted one senior official of the state government described the shuffle in the police administration "as a routine one".

Avijit Banerjee, who was the Superintendent of Police of the Barasat Police District, replaced Pandey, a notification issued by the state government said. Raj Narayan Mukherjee, the Deputy Commissioner of the South Zone of the Howrah Police Commissionerate, was named as the new SP of the Barasat Police District, it said.

Damayanti Sen, the Additional CP-I of Kolkata Police was made Special CP-II of the force while Pranav Kumar, who was the DIG of the state CID, was made the IGP of the state investigating agency. Humayan Kabir, the Commissioner of Police of the Chandannagar Police Commissionerate in the rank of the DIG was promoted as the IGP, it said. Nishant Perver was made the IGP of North Bengal.