ECI transfers Kolkata police station chiefs ahead of polls
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Kolkata: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has transferred Officers-in-Charge (OCs) at several Kolkata police stations ahead of the state's two-phase Assembly elections, an official said Sunday.
Hirak Dalpati, OC of Park Street police station, moves to the Intelligence Department, replaced by Neelkanth Roy from Lalbazar's Detective Department. Raj Kumar Mishra, Additional OC at Shyampukur, takes charge at Gariahat, while Manish Singh from Entali's Additional OC post heads Vijayganj Bazar. Manoj Dutta returns from STF to lead Chetla, replacing Amitabh Sarkar who shifts to STF.
Orders 181 and 182 shuffled several inspectors to Detective Department, STF, or Special Branch roles. Hare Street OC Lopsang Tshering Bhutia and Thakurpukur's Rajiv Sahu swapped positions mutually. The changes amend prior directives 174 and 175 from March 29.
This fits ECI's pre-poll rotation of bureaucrats and police. It follows tension during a Bhabanipur roadshow before BJP candidate Suvendu Adhikari's nomination, attended by Union Home Minister Amit Shah. ECI instructed the Chief Secretary to act on the law-and-order lapse, suspending four officers and mandating quick replacements. These six Kolkata station shifts happened within 24 hours.
(Inputs from IANS)
