Election Commission Replaces West Bengal DGP: Appointment of Sanjay Mukherjee

The Election Commission of India has made a significant decision regarding the leadership of the West Bengal police force. Vivek Sahay has been replaced by Sanjay Mukherjee as the new Director General of Police (DGP) for the state of West Bengal. This decision comes amidst a series of changes in key positions within the state administration, particularly in light of past incidents and the upcoming elections.

Appointment of Sanjay Mukherjee

• Sanjay Mukherjee, a 1989-batch IPS officer, has been appointed as the new DGP of West Bengal.
• He previously served as the Chief of Criminal Investigation Department (CID) starting from November 2017.
• Mukherjee held the position of Director (Security) in the West Bengal police, ranked as Additional Director General of Police (ADG) before his recent appointment.

Reassignment of Rajeev Kumar:

• Rajeev Kumar, who was appointed as the DGP in December of the previous year, has been reassigned to the information and technology department.
• This reassignment follows his removal from active election management duties during previous electoral events such as the 2016 assembly elections and the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

Directive from the Election Commission

• The Election Commission instructed the Chief Secretary BP Gopalika to reassign Rajeev Kumar to a non-election-related role.
• Kumar’s reassignment was accompanied by the appointment of an officer junior to him as the temporary DGP of West Bengal.