Another police reshuffle in Bengal ahead of polls; Howrah Jt CP, CID DIG transferred

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Kolkata, Feb 28 (IANS) Ahead of the state Assembly elections, the West Bengal government on Saturday carried out another round of reshuffle in the police administration, transferring several senior officers across key positions.

According to a notification issued by the state government, the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and the Joint Commissioner of Police (CP), Howrah Police Commissionerate, have been transferred.

The Additional Director General (ADG) and Inspector General of Police (IGP), Western Zone, has also been shifted.

In addition, DIGs heading the Murshidabad, Raiganj and Jalpaiguri ranges have been reassigned. In total, officers have been transferred across 13 posts.

As per the notification, K. Sabari Raj Kumar, who was serving as Joint CP of the Howrah Police Commissionerate, has been appointed as DIG, CID. Gaurav Lal, who was DIG, CID, has been posted as Joint CP, Howrah Police Commissionerate.

Ashok Kumar Prasad, who was ADG and IGP, Western Zone, has been transferred as ADG, Cyber Cell.

Vishal Garg, who was ADG, Cyber Cell, has been posted as ADG and IGP, Western Zone.

Murshidabad Range DIG Syed Waquar Raja has been transferred as DIG, Jalpaiguri Range. Raiganj Range DIG Sudheer Kumar Neelakantam has been posted as DIG, Murshidabad Range. Jalpaiguri Range DIG Nimbalkar Santosh Uttamrao has been transferred as DIG, Raiganj Range.

The state government has described the transfers as routine reshuffles carried out in accordance with established norms.

However, the transfer of the CID DIG has triggered speculation in political circles. The CID recently took over the investigation into the murder of a 27-year-old promoter, Safiq Khan, in Howrah’s Peelkhana area.

The latest reshuffle comes in the backdrop of that case, which had raised questions over the state government’s handling of the matter.

Also on Saturday, the final voters’ list in West Bengal, prepared as part of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) was published, with the total number of deleted voters standing at 61,78,245.

The figure is likely to increase further, as identity documents of around 60 lakh voters are currently under judicial adjudication by judicial officers appointed by the Election Commission of India (ECI), following directions of the Supreme Court.

–IANS

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Karnataka: Bajrang Dal files police complaint over Wi-Fi name ‘Pakistan Zindabad’

Bengaluru, Oct 29 (IANS) Bajrang Dal has filed a police complaint regarding a Wi-Fi username ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ at the Jigani Police Station on the outskirts of Bengaluru on Wednesday.

The police have registered a Non-Cognisable Report (NCR) in this regard and initiated an investigation.

According to the police, the incident was reported from Kallubalu village near Jigani on the outskirts of Bengaluru.

The complaint states that while checking available Wi-Fi networks to access the internet, one of the visible Wi-Fi usernames was found to be ‘Pakistan Zindabad’.

Bajrang Dal activists have alleged that anti-national elements may be operating in the area. The complainant stated that when Wi-Fi options are searched on a mobile device, the IDs of nearby users are displayed, and what was shocking was the appearance of the ID named ‘Pakistan Zindabad’.

The complaint further alleged that someone using such a name indicates the possible presence of a person with extremist intentions in the vicinity, raising serious concerns about their activities.

The Jigani Police have registered an NCR and are investigating the matter.

Earlier, in February 2024, an incident of ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ slogans in the premises of Vidhana Soudha being raised by supporters of Congress leader Syed Nasir Hussain after his Rajya Sabha election victory had sparked a major controversy.

The BJP had demanded an investigation by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). The situation had escalated to the point where members of the Congress and the BJP nearly came to blows in the Legislative Council.

Subsequently, on March 4, 2024, the Vidhana Soudha Police arrested three people for allegedly raising ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ slogans in the corridors of Vidhana Soudha during the victory celebrations of Rajya Sabha member Syed Nasir Hussain.

The arrests were made based on a Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) report, circumstantial evidence, and witness statements gathered at the event. The accused were identified as Iltaz from Delhi, Munawar from RT Nagar in Bengaluru, and Mohammed Shafi Nashipudi from Byadagi in Haveri district, Karnataka.

–IANS

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Two teens killed in Bihar while making reel near railway track

Patna, Jan 23 (IANS) Two teenagers were killed in Bihar’s West Champaran district after being hit by the Amrit Bharat Express while recording a video reel near a railway track, officials said on Friday.

The incident occurred on the Bettiah–Narkatiaganj railway line, between Gulab Nagar railway crossing and Sathi railway station, near railway pillar number 234/31.

Confirming the incident, Sathi railway station superintendent Santosh Kumar said that the Amrit Bharat Express was travelling from Muzaffarpur to Narkatiaganj. At the same time, a military train was approaching on a parallel track from Narkatiaganj towards Muzaffarpur.

“Two young boys were standing close to the railway tracks and making a video reel on their mobile phones. As trains approached simultaneously from both directions, they panicked and could not react in time. In the process, both were hit by the Amrit Bharat Express,” Santosh Kumar said.

Both teenagers died on the spot, officials said.

Following the incident, a large crowd of local residents gathered at the site, leading to chaos and distress in the area.

The deceased have been identified as Salman Alam (16), a resident of Dharmpur Sathi village, and Alamgir Alam (16), a resident of Bhedihari village under the Purushottampur police station area.

Railway officials said a memo has been sent to the Government Railway Police (GRP), Bettiah, and an investigation has been initiated.

“After receiving information about the incident, necessary intimation was given to the GRP. A thorough investigation is underway. The bodies have been handed over to the family members, and further legal action is being taken,” Santosh Kumar added.

“We have urged people to avoid venturing near railway tracks, especially in the morning and evening hours, as visibility is considerably low due to fog in winters,” he added.

–IANS

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I-PAC raid row: Trinamool to continue parallel legal, on-street battle

Kolkata, Jan 9 (IANS) West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee on Friday made it clear that her party will continue a parallel legal and on-the-street political battle over the controversy surrounding the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) simultaneous raid and search operations on January 8 at the office of the Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) in Salt Lake, on the northern outskirts of Kolkata, and at the residence of I-PAC co-founder Pratik Jain at Loudon Street in central Kolkata.

She led a protest rally in the matter in south Kolkata on Friday afternoon, starting from Jadavpur and ending at Hazra crossing, where she outlined her party’s strategy on the issue.

“Our movement is against the harassment of the people masterminded from New Delhi. Our movement is against the deliberate attempt to strike off the names of genuine voters in the state from the voters’ list in the name of the Special Intensive Revision. Our movement is against the deliberate denial of the rights of the people of West Bengal. So being on the streets is the only way out to spearhead the movement on this issue, and this will continue,” the Chief Minister said.

Speaking on the occasion, Banerjee accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of capturing power through the back door in many states, which, according to her, was often done forcefully.

“They are trying to do the same thing in West Bengal. The people of West Bengal will not tolerate that any more. I, too, have information about the involvement of BJP leaders with unaccounted money. I am yet to reveal that. But if necessary, I will reveal it now. I tolerate up to a certain level; if I open my mouth now, it will become an international issue,” the Chief Minister said.

She also accused the BJP of spreading false narratives about illegal Rohingya infiltrators in West Bengal’s voters’ list.

“Before the SIR, they claimed that lakhs of illegal Rohingya infiltrators were in the voters’ list. But to date, not a single one has been identified. Now the BJP is trying to delete the names of genuine voters using the Election Commission of India,” the Chief Minister said.

–IANS

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