Kolkata, July 25 : West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday announced the suspension of five police officers who were entangled in controversies and accused of partisan conduct during the previous Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress regime.

 

While addressing the West Bengal Assembly on the concluding day of the six-day extended budget session, the Chief Minister announced the names of the five suspended officers, including an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer.

 

The IPS officer suspended is Koteshwar Rao, erstwhile Superintendent of the Diamond Harbour Police District in South 24 Parganas. He was known as a close confidant of Trinamool Congress General Secretary and Lok Sabha member from Diamond Harbour constituency, Abhishek Banerjee.

 

The other four suspended officers are: Moazzem Hossain, erstwhile Inspector-in-Charge of Kaliaganj Police Station in North Dinajpur; Subarna Dutta Chowdhury, erstwhile Officer-in-Charge of Bartala Police Station under Kolkata Police; Sadhan Pandey, erstwhile Sub-Inspector of Bartala Police Station; and Amalendu Biswas, erstwhile Inspector-in-Charge of Krishnanagar Police Station in Nadia district.

 

“During the previous government’s tenure between 2021 and 2026, police were misused at various places. The sentiments of those who follow Sanatan Dharma were hurt,” the Chief Minister said, mixing direct and indirect speech.

 

To recall, immediately after taking charge in May this year following the West Bengal Assembly polls, Adhikari suspended three IPS officers accused of dereliction of duty in connection with the rape and murder of a woman doctor at state-run R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata in August 2024.

 

The three IPS officers suspended in that matter were Vineet Kumar Goyal, then Commissioner of Kolkata Police; Abhishek Gupta, then Deputy Commissioner of Police (North Division); and Indira Mukherjee, then Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central Division). A departmental probe was also ordered against them.

 

Earlier this month, the suspension period of the IPS officers was extended by 120 days.

 

Meanwhile, the Chief Minister issued a social media statement asserting that under his administration, corruption in governance would not be tolerated.

 

“The state government is determined to strictly implement the Zero Tolerance Policy everywhere,” Adhikari said.