The West Bengal government on Monday appointed Vivek Sahay as the new DGP, hours after the Election Commission of India removed Rajeev Kumar from the post, sources said.
Vivek Sahay, a 1988-batch IPS officer, previously served as the Director General and Commandant General of Home Guards.
Rajeev Kumar, who was appointed as the DGP last December, was reassigned to the information and technology department, a role unrelated to election duties. Sources said the move is an interim arrangement.
The decision to transfer Rajeev Kumar stemmed from his previous removal from active election management duties during the 2016 assembly elections and the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
Consequently, the EC instructed the Chief Secretary BP Gopalika to reassign Kumar to a non-election-related role and appoint an officer junior to him as DGP temporarily.
In response to the EC's directive, the state government provided a panel of three officers for consideration: Vivek Sahay, Sanjay Mukherjee, and Rajesh Kumar.
Incidentally, Vivek Sahay had previously faced suspension by the EC in March 2021 during his tenure as the director of security.
This action was taken following an incident during which Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee sustained injuries in Nandigram during the 2021 state assembly elections.
The incident involving the Bengal CM occurred when she was greeting her supporters from the footboard of her vehicle. Due to pressure from the crowd, she was sandwiched between the front door and seat of the car, resulting in injuries to her left foot.