Administrative Purge: EC Suspends 4 Senior Police Officers Over Bhabanipur Security Breach

KOLKATA: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has taken a decisive step to ensure electoral neutrality by suspending four senior Kolkata Police officers this morning. The move follows a high-level inquiry into the security lapses during a recent roadshow in the Bhabanipur constituency, which witnessed a breakdown of law and order and minor clashes between rival party workers.

The suspended officers include Deputy Commissioner Siddhartha Dutta and Alipore Police Station OC Priyankar Chakraborty. The ECI’s directive, sent to the Chief Secretary of West Bengal, emphasized that “any perception of partisan behavior by the police will be met with immediate and strict disciplinary action.” The commission has also ordered a formal departmental inquiry against the officers, which must be completed within 15 days.

This administrative reshuffle has caused a stir in Lalbazar (Kolkata Police HQ). Sources suggest that the ECI is closely monitoring the conduct of station-level officers in sensitive zones. For the state government, the suspension of these senior officers is an embarrassing setback, while the opposition has hailed it as a “necessary cleanup” to ensure a fair poll. The newly appointed replacements are expected to take charge by this evening, with the ECI demanding a daily report on the security situation in South Kolkata.