Four Bengal cops removed by ECI before LS polls reinstated in their posts

Kolkata: Four senior police officers in West Bengal, who were replaced by the Election Commission of India (ECI) before or during the recently-concluded Lok Sabha elections, were reinstated in their posts by the state government on Tuesday.

The four officers include Aminul Islam Khan, an SDPO in the Basirhat subdivision under which the Sandeshkhali police station falls.

Before the Lok Sabha elections, there were several complaints against Khan from the BJP, with the leader of the opposition Suvendu Adhikari accusing the SDPO of acting on behalf of the ruling Trinamool Congress.

The ECI not only removed Khan from the post but also ordered his transfer to any position that was not linked to elected-related duty.

The other officers to be reinstated on Tuesday are the DSP of Howrah Rural Police, Amitabha Konar, SDPO of Kanthi subdivision, Dibakar Das, and the DSP of Darjeeling, Azharuddin Khan.

Sources in the state Secretariat said the process of reinstating bureaucrats and police officers transferred by the ECI started on Monday with the erstwhile District Magistrate of East Midnapore, Joyoshi Dasgupta.

“Gradually, almost all the officers who were replaced by the poll panel will be reinstated in their original positions,” said a senior member of the state Cabinet, who did not wish to be named.