The West Bengal government has transferred 23 police officers, including senior Kolkata Police officials overseeing traffic, enforcement, security and cyber operations, in a reshuffle notified by the state Home Department on Friday night.
Kolkata Police Additional Commissioner Devendra Prakash Singh has been moved to the post of Inspector General, Intelligence Bureau, North Bengal. Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Suryapratap Yadav has been appointed Deputy Inspector General, Intelligence Bureau, while Deputy Commissioner of the Enforcement Branch Sparsha Nilangi has been made Deputy Commissioner in the Detective Department.
The notification names IPS officer Sudhirkumar Neelakantam as Kolkata’s new Additional Commissioner of Police. Neelakantam was previously Inspector General of the Special Task Force. IPS officer Bholanath Pandey, who was serving as Deputy Inspector General in the Intelligence Bureau, will take charge as the city’s new Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic).
IPS officer Sukhendu Hira, formerly Deputy Inspector General (Security) of the state police, has been appointed Joint Commissioner of Police (Security) in Kolkata. The changes therefore affect several operational areas that directly influence city administration, including traffic management, policing, intelligence coordination and protection duties.
The reshuffle also includes appointments in other state police units and commissionerates. IPS officer Neelu Sherpa has been appointed Inspector General of the West Bengal Police Housing and Infrastructure Development Corporation, after serving as Inspector General of the State Crime Records Bureau. IPS officer Shankhashubhra Chakraborty, formerly Inspector General of Home Guards, will take charge of the State Crime Records Bureau.
IPS officer Debarshi Dutta, who was Deputy Inspector General of the West Bengal Police Housing and Infrastructure Development Corporation, has been transferred as Joint Commissioner in the Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate. IPS officer Neema Narbu Bhutia has been moved from Commanding Officer of the 10th Battalion of the state armed police to Superintendent of Police in the Criminal Investigation Department.
The notification also assigns new officers to cybercrime, detective and commissionerate posts. IPS officer Soumyadeep Bhattacharya will become Deputy Commissioner of Kolkata Police’s Cyber Branch. IPS officer Qazi Shamsuddin Ahmed, previously Deputy Commissioner of Traffic in Siliguri, has been appointed Deputy Commissioner, Detective Department, in the Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate. IPS officer Kuntal Bandyopadhyay will become a Deputy Commissioner in the Barrackpore Police Commissionerate.
Several West Bengal Police Service officers have also been transferred. Kaustavdipta Acharya has been moved from Additional Superintendent of Police in Darjeeling to the same rank in Jaigaon, Alipurduar. Purnima Sherpa has been appointed Additional Superintendent of Police in Kalimpong, while Abhishek Roy will take charge as Additional Superintendent of Police in Birbhum. Manabendra Das has been appointed Additional Superintendent of Police in Mathabhanga and Kunal Barnabas as Additional Superintendent of Police in Malda Rural.
The changes will take effect through the appointments and transfers listed in the state Home Department notification, including the new leadership assignments for Kolkata’s traffic and security wings.
