Rajeev Kumar new West Bengal DGP; predecessor Malviya to be police advisor

The West Bengal government on Wednesday appointed former Kolkata Police commissioner Rajeev Kumar as the state's new Director General and Inspector General of Police (DG and IGP).

Kumar succeeded Manoj Malviya, who retired during the day and was designated as the police advisor for the next three years.

Kumar, presently serving as the principal secretary of the Information and Technology Department, is set to assume his new role immediately, according to an official statement.

A 1989-batch IPS officer of the West Bengal cadre, Kumar previously held the position of Additional Director General of the state Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

However, he faces accusations from the CBI of involvement in suppressing and destroying evidence during the investigation of the Saradha scam.

The scam, which came to light in 2013, left numerous investors financially devastated, and the Supreme Court handed over the investigation to the CBI in 2014.

In 2019, when a CBI team sought to question Kumar, then the Kolkata Police commissioner, regarding chit fund scam cases, they were stopped by policemen, resulting in a confrontation that snowballed into a major issue, with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee staging a dharna, accusing the BJP-led Union government of utilising central agencies against the opposition.

Kumar, a computer engineer from IIT-Roorkee, is renowned for his expertise in electronic surveillance, modernising crime detection methods within the Kolkata Police through the incorporation of surveillance drones, security cameras, and tracking devices.

His elevation to the top police position sparked a contentious debate within both the ruling TMC and the opposition.

TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh, previously arrested by Kumar in connection with the Saradha chit fund case, expressed hope that innocent would be safeguarded from false accusations.

''He is a very good officer. Few untoward incidents have taken place in the last few years. But I hope that just like I was framed in false cases under someone's instructions, no other innocent would be framed in false cases. If you (Kumar) do such things, God won't forgive you,'' he said.

His comments were countered by party colleague and senior minister Firhad Hakim, who said the CM can do no wrong.

''Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who is also our Home Minister, can do no wrong,'' he said.

However, Leader of the Opposition in state assembly Suvendu Adhikari alleged that Kumar's appointment was a reward for his role in the Saradha chit fund scam.

''We all know the role Rajeev Kumar has played during the Saradha chit fund scam. How the investigation was tampered with in a way that the TMC leaders can get away... Today Rajeev Kumar has been rewarded,'' he said.

A similar sentiment was echoed by CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty, who questioned Kumar's transition from IT secretary to DGP and highlighted his alleged role in the scam.

''He was IT secretary for the last four years; how come he has been made the DGP of the state? We all know the role he had played during the Saradha chit fund scam,'' he said.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)