Kolkata: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday appointed IPS officer Sanjay Mukherjee as the state Director General of Police (DGP).
The 1989-batch IPS officer’s name was picked from a list of three sent by the state government on Monday after three names were sought by the poll panel.
In a letter to the Bengal Chief Secretary on Tuesday morning, the ECI wrote: “…the Commission has approved the name of Shri Sanjay Mukherjee, IPS (1989)…for the post of Director General and Inspector General of Police, West Bengal… Kindly ensure immediate compliance and confirm the same latest by 5 pm today.”
The ECI on Monday had removed Rajeev Kumar from the post of Bengal DGP and as per the poll panel’s order of giving charge “to the next senior officer in the Police Headquarters till posting of new Director General & Inspector General of Police, West Bengal,” the Home and Hill Affairs department had issued a notification appointing IPS Vivek Sahay of 1988 batch as DGP.
The list of three names that were sent to the ECI were of Vivek Sahay (who has been serving as DGP Homeguard), Sanjay Mukherjee (who has been serving as DGP in the Fire and Emergency Services Department) and Rajesh Kumar (who has been serving as the Member Secretary of West Bengal Pollution Control Board).
Sources said Sahay is set to retire in the last week of May before the conclusion of the seven-phased Lok Sabha polls. The last phase of polls is scheduled on June 1 and the counting is on June 4.
This may have prompted the Commission to designate Mukherjee for the post whose name was in number two in the list of names that was sent by the state government.
Mukherjee had served as the chief of Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and was also posted as the Director (security) of the West Bengal police in the rank of the Additional Director General of Police (ADG).