The hooded Benoy Chakraborty

Calcutta, April 16: Benoy Chakraborty, the Eastern Frontier Rifles special inspector-general who had masked himself fearing Maoists while addressing the media days after some of his personnel had been massacred, was today transferred in “public interest”.

“Chakraborty has been transferred in public interest…. It will be good for him for he will be back in Calcutta,” state police chief Bhupinder Singh said.

Chakraborty will become the special inspector-general of the Hooghly River Bridge Commissioners (HRBC), which builds roads and bridges, barely four months after he took charge of the EFR headquarters at Salua near Khragpur.

Sources said the government’s displeasure at his “un- professional” conduct in wearing a hood for “personal security” and then blaming the West Midnapore superintendent of police for “poor infrastructure” at the camp where the 24 personnel had been butchered was apparent in the move.

Singh refused to elaborate on what he meant by “public interest”. He said: “All transfers are done in public interest.”

However, another officer said what Singh really meant was that Chakraborty’s removal had become “essential” after his outburst against the lower-ranked district police chief that tarnished the government’s image and hit the functioning of the force.

Home secretary Ardhendu Sen had said that if an officer felt so insecure about himself he had wear a mask to hide his identity, how could he ensure others’ security.

“Action against Chakraborty was imminent,” an officer said today. “It should have come earlier. No IPS officer behaves in the manner he did. It is bad for the image of the force.”

Chakraborty, who was not directly recruited to the IPS, had been promoted to it.

Government sources said he had not been transferred immediately after the news conference because of the fear of a “revolt” in the EFR ranks.

Tempers of the EFR personnel were “inflamed” after the Shilda camp attack and transferring Chakraborty in its immediate aftermath, especially after he heaped praise on his force before the media, would have “aggravated” the situation. “So the government waited for the situation to normalise to a certain extent before taking action against him.”

Although it was expected initially that he would be suspended, chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee had instead opted for a departmental inquiry against him. That probe is still on.

A police officer said while what Chakraborty had done was unacceptable, some of the things he had said were true. “The infrastructure was lacking at the Shilda camp. It also should not have been set up in the heart of a crowded locality, compromising security.”

Chakraborty refused to comment on the transfer. “I have not been informed about it,” he said. “In any case, I shall not utter a word on it.”

In the HRBC, sources said, he is likely to play its mediator with the police. An organisation under the state transport department, it was established in 1969 to oversee the construction of the second Hooghly bridge.

A police source said the new job would be “far simpler” for Chakraborty.