Bengal government reinstates Rajeev Kumar as Director General of Police

Kolkata: The state government on Monday reinstated Rajeev Kumar as the Director General of Police (DGP) of Bengal.

Kumar, a 1989-batch IPS was removed by the Election Commission of India (ECI) in March, soon after the announcement of Lok Sabha elections. The poll panel had appointed Sanjay Mukherjee, an IPS of the same batch as the state DGP.

Mukherjee on Monday was transferred as DG in the state Fire and Emergency Services department.

The state had appointed Kumar, as the state DGP for the first time on December 27, 2023, after the retirement of Manoj Malviya. After his removal from the post of DGP, Kumar was appointed as OSD in the rank of Additional Chief Secretary in the Information Technology and Electronics (IT & E ) department.

Mamata Banerjee after taking over as Chief Minister of Bengal for the first time in 2011 had created Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate and appointed Kumar as its first Commissioner.

Later he was also given the charge of Kolkata Police Commissioner. He had also served as the Additional Director General of the state Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and had also headed the Special Task Force of Kolkata Police. Kumar, is a BTech from College of Engineering Roorkee. According to Nabanna sources, Kumar would have been appointed the DGP immediately after the lifting of the Model Code of Conduct in connection to the Lok Sabha elections.

However, with the poll panel announcing the dates of by-elections in four Assembly constituencies the process was delayed. The by-election results were announced on Saturday.

In 2016, while Kumar was the Commissioner of Kolkata Police he was relieved of his position by the poll panel before the Bengal Assembly elections.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Kumar was ADG in Bengal CID (Criminal Investigation Department) and was removed before the general elections.