Manoj Kumar Verma is new Kolkata police commissioner, replaces Vineet Goyal
The decision to remove Vineet Goyal was announced by chief minister Mamata Banerjee after she held a late-night meeting with the protesting doctors
The Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal on Tuesday appointed Manoj Kumar Verma as the new commissioner of Kolkata Police. Verma, a 1998 batch IPS officer, was serving as additional director general (ADG), law and order, West Bengal before his latest appointment.
Verma replaces Vineet Kumar Goyal, who has been transferred as additional director general (ADG) of Special Task Force.
The decision to remove Goyal was announced by chief minister Mamata Banerjee after she held a late-night meeting with the protesting doctors.
Goyal, a 1994 batch IPS officer, was criticised for his handling of the rape and murder of a 31-year-old postgraduate trainee doctor at the state-run RG Kar Medical College Hospital on August 9.
Goyal had succeeded Soumen Mittra as the Kolkata top cop in 2021. An alumnus of IIT Kharagpur and IIT Kanpur, he held various positions within the Kolkata Police.
Goyal also served as joint commissioner of police for the Special Task Force and Traffic, as well as additional commissioner of police.
‘Kolkata Police Commissioner said he is ready to resign’: Mamata
“Given the demand of junior doctors, Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Kumar Goyal has said in the meeting that he is ready to resign,” Banerjee said on Monday.
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“We tried listening to junior doctors...we have decided to change the DC (Kolkata Police Commissioner)...he agreed to resign himself...in the health department, they demanded the removal of 3 persons and we agreed for 2. We have agreed 99%, what else can we do? We have requested the junior doctors to come back to work so that the common citizens won't suffer,” the chief minister said.
Mamata Banerjee urged the doctors to return to work as most of their demands have been accepted.
“No punitive action will be taken against the doctors… I would request them to rejoin work as common people are suffering,” she said.