Kolkata, March 16 -- A day after the announcement of the West Bengal assembly poll schedule, the Election Commission on Monday appointed senior IPS officer Siddh Nath Gupta as the director general of police, replacing Peeyush Pandey, an official said. The poll panel also removed Kolkata Police Commissioner Supratim Sarkar and appointed Ajay Kumar Nand in his place, he said. The EC said the decision to remove the officers was taken following a review of the poll preparedness of the state. According to an official communication, the poll panel directed the state government to appoint Siddh Nath Gupta as Director General and Inspector General of Police (in-charge), while Natarajan Ramesh Babu has been named Director General of Correctional Services.
It also ordered the posting of Ajay Mukund Ranade as Additional Director General and IGP (Law and Order) and Ajay Kumar Nand as Commissioner of Kolkata Police. The commission directed that the orders be implemented immediately and asked the state government to submit a compliance report by 3 pm on Monday, the official said. The EC also said those transferred out of their positions should not be posted in any election-related assignment till the completion of the polls,
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.