The Election Commission of India (ECI) made a swift decision on Tuesday regarding the appointment of the Director General of Police (DGP) in West Bengal. IPS officer Sanjay Mukherjee was appointed to the position, replacing Vivek Sahay, less than 24 hours after Sahay was initially named for the role.
This decision came after the ECI sought three names from the state government for the position, allowing the state to propose Vivek Sahay. However, due to Sahay's impending retirement in late May, before the conclusion of the Lok Sabha elections, the ECI opted to appoint Sanjay Mukherjee instead.
Sanjay Mukherjee, a seasoned 1989-batch IPS officer, was the second choice among the three officers recommended by the West Bengal government for the DGP position.
This development follows the removal of controversial West Bengal Police Chief Rajeev Kumar from the post of DGP by the Election Commission of India. Rajeev Kumar was reassigned to the Information and Technology department in a "non-election" related role, as an interim arrangement.
It's worth noting that this isn't the first time Rajeev Kumar has been removed from a key position ahead of significant elections, as he was also replaced as Commissioner of Police in Kolkata before the 2016 Assembly elections.
