An Election Commission order on Monday replaced the state’s director-general of police and Calcutta’s police commissioner, hours after the chief secretary and home secretary had been shown the door. He had barely a week ago headed a team of senior officers from Bengal at a meeting with the Election Commission’s full bench, led by CEC Gyanesh Kumar, in Calcutta. “This is the first time in years that virtually the entire top brass of Bengal’s administration has been replaced within 24 hours of the poll panel announcing the election dates,” a senior state home department official said. Both are kadak (tough) officers who specialise in handling law and order,” a senior officer at the state police directorate said. “He has handled the Maoist movement in Lalgarh and the Gorkha uprising in Darjeeling, and has headed the directorate of security, responsible for the chief minister’s security,” the senior officer said.

Source: The Telegraph March 17, 2026 07:28 UTC