As many as 24 IPS officers were transferred on Monday, a move that resulted in former Bidhannagar Commissionerate colleagues Rajeev Kumar and Arnab Ghosh being united again.
Ghosh was the detective chief in the Bidhannagar commissionerate headed by Kumar. Both were accused of dragging their feet on the Saradha probe.
Ghosh, the Nadia police superintendent, will be special superintendent of the CID, where Kumar is additional director-general.
Howrah has got a new commissioner and Calcutta three new divisional deputy commissioners.
Some of the changes and why they are significant.
Sunil Kumar Choudhury
Was: Superintendent of police, Hooghly
Now: Commissioner, Howrah
What it means: Senior officers could not recall the last time a police superintendent was made commissioner. Usually, a DIG or an IG heads a commissionerate.
Sources said Choudhury has been awarded because of his performance as SP of West Midnapore and Hooghly.
Challenge: Choudhury will be under Nabanna's glare.
Ajey Mukund Ranade
Was: Commissioner, Howrah
Now: IG, South Bengal
What it means: Ranade will supervise Howrah (rural), North 24-Parganas, South 24-Parganas, Nadia and Murshidabad.
Bastab Baidya
Was: DC (north), Calcutta
Now: DC (central), Calcutta
What it means: Baidya will have to manage rallies and be on guard against communal flare-ups.
Challenge: Baidya is known for his skills to detect crime; now he has to hone skills to tackle law and order problems
Devendra Prakash Singh
Was: DC (central), Calcutta
Now: SP, South 24-Parganas
What it means: Singh will be in charge of one of the most important districts of Bengal.
Challenge: The officer will have to deal with a district known for its complex political nature and mix of rural and urban population.
Praveen Kumar Tripathi
Was: SP, South 24-Parganas
Now: SP, Hooghly
Challenge: Tripathi was West Midnapore SP when police gunned down Maoist leader Kishan. Now, he will be in charge of handling one of the most politically volatile districts in Bengal.
Bharat Lal Meena
Was: SP (rural), Howrah
Now: SP, Nadia
Challenge: Meena was earlier removed as Murshidabad SP because of his alleged failure to curb cattle smuggling. He will face the same challenge in Nadia.
Sukesh Kumar Jain
Was: SP, East Midnapore
Now: SP (rural), Howrah
What it means: The officer will now be closer to the city.
Akhilesh Kumar Chaturvedi
Was: SP, Darjeeling
Now: DC (special task force), Calcutta
What it means: Chaturvedi, experienced in dealing with the Gorkhaland agitation, will have to track terrorist activities and head covert operations.
Mohammad Imran Wahab
Was: DC (port), Calcutta
Now: DC (special branch), Barrackpore
What it means: The officer who was entrusted with the politically-sensitive and crime-prone port division would now head a less important wing. The trigger behind his transfer, sources said, were allegations of inadequate policing that gave rise to law-and-order problems.
Amit P. Javalgi
Was: DC, special task force, Calcutta
Now: SP, Darjeeling
Challenge: The officer will have to handle agitations by Bimal Gurung's men.
Subhankar Sinha Sarkar
Was: DC (first battalion), Calcutta
Now: DC (north), Calcutta
Challenge: The officer who was supervising a battalion will now have to crack cases as well as look into the law and order situation of a division.
Meeraz Khalid
Was: Special SP, CID
Now: DC (first battalion), Calcutta police
What it means: The officer is on the threshold of the big league of Calcutta police.
Alok Rajoria
Was: Commandant, state armed police, ninth battalion
Now: SP, East Midnapore
What it means: The officer was shunted out of Birbhum in January after a young woman accused a Birbhum police team of torturing her. Today, Rajoria is back as the head of district
police.
Sudeep Sarkar
Was: DC (third battalion), Calcutta police
Now: DC (port), Calcutta
What it means: Sarkar will handle a sensitive and crime-prone area
Challenge: From heading a battalion to taking over the Port division will be a litmus test for Sarkar.
Nagendranath Tripathi
Was: DC (special branch), Barrackpore
Now: DC (third battalion), Calcutta
Ranendra Nath Banerjee
Was: DC (headquarters), Bidhannagar
Now: DC (headquarters), Howrah
What it means: Nabanna will be under his watch.
Nishat Pervez
Was: DC, Howrah
Now: DC, Bidhannagar
What it means: Sources said Pervez was removed because he is senior to new CP, Howrah, Sunil Choudhury, and could not work under him.
