Kolkata: The Election
Commission (EC) of India has removed Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajiv Kumar on account of his political bias
ahead of the West Bengal Assembly elections.
His removal comes a day
after a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) delegation led by Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi,
Chandan Mitra and others met the EC. Kumar was accused by BJP to have had
a hand in an attempted sting operation on its former state president, Rahul
Sinha. Two policemen were suspended on Monday for allegedly trying to bribe
Sinha, who made them wait and alerted police. BJP alleged that the Trinamool
Congress (TMC), which is currently under scanner because of a video that
purportedly shows 13 of their party leaders accepting cash bribes to lobby for
a fictitious company, was behind the sting operation on Sinha.
Sinha thanked the poll
panel and said: “It also proves that my complaint was correct.”
Earlier this year in January, Kumar became the commissioner.
Before that, he was criticized for his alleged inaction as the head of a team
set up by chief minister Mamata Banerjee, to probe into the multi-crore Saradha
scam. Former Kolkata mayor and CPI-M leader Bikash Bhattacharya said: “We smelt
a rat when Rajeev Kumar was made the police commissioner in the first place. He
tried his best to delay the CBI probe in Saradha.” The Congress too complained
to the poll panel against Kumar and wanted his immediate removal from the post.
Opposition parties requested the commission to keep him away from
election-related duties. Congress president Adhir Chowdhury said: “It’s a
strong message to those in the administration working for Trinamool Congress”.
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