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The districts affected by the transfers include Alipurduar, Jalpaiguri, Malda, Raiganj, Jhargram, Baruipur, Bankura, East Medinipur, West Medinipur, and Purulia
Majority of the SPs have completed three years and, as per EC norms, those who have served this tenure in a particular jurisdiction must be reassigned before polling. (Image: PTI/File)
Ten superintendents of police have been transferred in West Bengal ahead of the assembly elections next year.
Majority of these officers have completed three years in their respective posts and, as per Election Commission (EC) norms, those who have served this tenure in a particular jurisdiction must be reassigned before polling.
The districts affected by the transfers include Alipurduar, Jalpaiguri, Malda, Raiganj, Jhargram, Baruipur, Bankura, East Medinipur, West Medinipur, and Purulia.
A section of the bureaucracy noted that several transfers are essentially inter-district swaps. For instance, Alipurduar SP Y Raghuvanshi has been reassigned to neighbouring Jalpaiguri, while Jalpaiguri SP Umesh Khandelwal has been transferred to Alipurduar.
According to senior administrative sources, Malda SP Pradeep Yadav has been moved to what is considered a less significant assignment as SP Traffic, North Dinajpur. Malda witnessed a shootout on Thursday, and the district has had recurring law-and-order concerns over the past year. Officials indicated that this may be a factor behind the reassignment.
CHANGES IN SENSITIVE DISTRICTS
East Medinipur, considered politically sensitive as it is the stronghold of opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari, has also seen a major reshuffle.
The current SP, Soumyadip Bhattacharya, has been transferred to Bankura. The state government has not yet appointed a new SP for East Medinipur. Diamond Harbour additional SP Mithun has been given the charge of additional SP in East Medinipur for the time being.
Administrative sources told News18 that these transfers are part of the state government’s first phase of election-related preparations, and more police reshuffles are expected. Earlier, a significant number of IAS officers were also transferred.
TRANSFER LINKED TO BOLPUR IC EPISODE
In a separate development, the inspector-in-charge (IC) of Bolpur, who had complained about alleged intimidation by Trinamool Congress leader Anubrata Mondal — including a purported audio clip of threats — has been transferred to a district intelligence branch in Jalpaiguri.
Kamalika Sengupta is the Editor (East) at CNN-News18 / News18.com, focusing on politics, defence, and women’s issues. She is a seasoned multimedia journalist with over 20 years of experience reporting from East…Read More
Kamalika Sengupta is the Editor (East) at CNN-News18 / News18.com, focusing on politics, defence, and women’s issues. She is a seasoned multimedia journalist with over 20 years of experience reporting from East… Read More
November 27, 2025, 23:41 IST
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