The West Bengal government on Tuesday transferred Kolkata police chief Rajeev Kumar to the Crime Investigation Department, where he will take over as the additional director general of police and inspector general of police, ANI reported.
The state government appointed 1991-batch Indian Police Service officer Anuj Sharma to the post of the Kolkata police commissioner.
The Central Bureau of Investigation had interrogated Kumar in connection with the Saradha chit fund scam earlier this month. The agency has filed a contempt petition in the Supreme Court alleging that Kumar, the West Bengal government and police did not cooperate with the investigation into the scam.
The CBI has also claimed that Kumar was absconding when it issued repeated summons to him in the case last month. The agency alleged that the Kolkata Police prevented its officials from entering Kumar’s residence on February 3.
On the same night, Banerjee began the “Save the Constitution” protest at Esplanade, accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah of plotting a “coup”. The CBI alleged that Kumar was present at this dharna, a claim the police officer denied in the Supreme Court on Monday.
On February 5, the Supreme Court ordered Kumar to appear for interrogation and cooperate with the CBI in its investigation. Kumar was heading the Special Investigation Team set up by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to probe the scam before the case was handed over to the CBI by the top court.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!