Election Commission appoints Sanjay Mukherjee as West Bengal DGP

Election Commission of India on Tuesday appointed Sanjay Mukherjee as the new state director general of police.

Updated on: Mar 19, 2024, 15:11:26 IST

By HT News Desk

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The Election Commission of India on Tuesday appointed IPS officer Sanjay Mukherjee as the new state Director General of Police (DGP), a day after it issued orders to remove Rajeev Kumar from the post. The poll panel directed the chief secretary of West Bengal to ensure immediate compliance and confirm the appointment of Mukherjee by 5 pm today.

Earlier on Monday, the poll panel had appointed IPS officer Vivek Sahay as the next DGP based on his seniority. However, since Sahay is scheduled to retire in the final week of May before the Lok Sabha elections conclude, the Election Commission named Mukherjee as the DGP, news agency PTI reported citing a senior official.

Notably, Sanjay Mukherjee is a 1989 batch IPS officer. He was previously posted as the Director of Security of the West Bengal police in the rank of the additional director general of police (ADG). In 2017, he was appointed as the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) chief.

Also read: ‘BJP's reflection’: Trinamool Congress on EC removing West Bengal DGP Rajeev Kumar

Election Commission's large-scale transfers of bureaucrats

Apart from the West Bengal DGP removal, the Election Commission also ordered the removal of home secretaries of six states - Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand. The poll body removed Brihanmumbai municipal commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal, along with additional commissioners and deputy commissioners, as well as secretaries of the general administrative departments in Mizoram and Himachal Pradesh. The decision was taken following a meeting of commissioners headed by chief election commissioner Rajiv Kumar on Monday morning.

The poll body's move to remove and transfer bureaucrats comes days after it announced the Lok Sabha election dates and is considered as a part of the commission's efforts to maintain a level playing field and ensure the integrity of the electoral process.

(With inputs from PTI)

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