Just days ahead of a crucial Supreme Court hearing in the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) I-PAC raid case scheduled for February 3, the West Bengal government on Friday carried out a major reshuffle in the state police, including changes to the posts of Kolkata Police Commissioner and Director General of Police (DGP).
Chief Minister and Home Minister Mamata Banerjee removed Manoj Verma as Commissioner of Kolkata Police and appointed senior IPS officer Supratim Sarkar in his place. Notably, after a long gap, a Bengali officer has been appointed to the top post in the Kolkata Police.
Sarkar was serving as Additional Director General (ADG) of South Bengal before his new appointment. During the Left Front regime, he was regarded as a trusted officer of former Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.
While Verma has been removed as Kolkata Police Commissioner, he has not been sidelined. He has been appointed Director of Security, a key position earlier held by Piyush Pandey. Pandey, in turn, has been elevated as Director General and Inspector General (DG & IG) of West Bengal Police on a temporary basis.
Ending prolonged speculation over the appointment of the next DGP, the state government named 1993-batch IPS officer Pandey as the new DGP (in charge). According to an official notification, he will assume charge immediately after the retirement of the incumbent Director General, Rajeev Kumar (1989 batch), on January 31, 2026.
Also read: After I-PAC raids, ED director to visit Bengal for review
The notification clarified that Pandey will hold the post until further orders. At present, the state does not have a permanent DGP, with Kumar serving in an acting capacity until his retirement.
The reshuffle comes days before the Supreme Court hears a case related to the ED’s raid at the office and residence of political consultancy firm I-PAC’s director Prateek Jain in Kolkata. The ED has sought the suspension of Verma and Kumar, alleging that they obstructed central agency officials during the searches conducted on January 8, when the Chief Minister was also present.
Sources in the state administration said that with Kumar set to retire and Verma no longer holding the post of Kolkata Police Commissioner, any strict order from the apex court would now apply to them as individual IPS officers rather than as heads of key police positions.
As part of the reshuffle, Vineet Goyal has been appointed ADG (Law and Order). Goyal was earlier serving as Kolkata Police Commissioner but was removed amid pressure arising from the junior doctors’ protests linked to the RG Kar rape and murder case.
Meanwhile, the process to appoint a permanent DGP is underway. The state government has forwarded a list of senior IPS officers to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), which will shortlist three names, from which one will be selected as the permanent DGP.
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