Five top cops who sat on dharna with Mamata may be stripped of medals by Centre

The Centre is likely to take punitive action against five senior police officers of West Bengal, including DGP Virendra Kumar, for taking part in a dharna with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, officials said.

This may include stripping them of medals, barring them from serving at the Centre for a period of time, and removing them from the empanelment list.

Besides DGP Virendra Kumar, the four other officers under the radar of the ministry are ADG-Security Vineet Kumar Goyal, ADG-Law and Order Anuj Sharma, Commissioner of Police (Bidhan Nagar) Gyanwant Singh and Additional Commissioner of Kolkata Police Supratim Sarkar.

The Union Home Ministry had earlier also sought action against Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar for sitting at the dharna with Mamata. 

ALSO READ: State yet to receive MHA notice on Kolkata police chief Rajeev Kumar :

In its clause by clause communication, the ministry had said every member of the service shall at all times maintain absolute integrity and devotion to duty and shall do nothing which is unbecoming of a member of the service, no member of the service shall be a member of, or be otherwise associated with, any political party or any organisation which takes part in politics, nor shall he take part in, or subscribe in aid of, or assist in any other manner, any political movement or political party.

ALSO READ: Go to Shillong, it is a cool place: Supreme Court to CBI, Kolkata Police Commissioner

The order comes after the West Bengal Governor submitted his report to the Ministry of Home Affairs.

The report was prepared by combining the report of the Special Investigation Branch and the reports submitted to the governor by the state chief secretary and the home secretary late on Sunday night.

The 'Save India' dharna by Mamata at the Metro Channel in Kolkata had ended two days earlier. Mamata had alleged that Narendra Modi and NSA Ajit Doval were using the CBI to suppress the state.

Citing the Supreme Court order, she said, "The Supreme Court had said CBI officials can meet Kumar at a designated spot but trying to raid his house is an attack on the police force."

(With inputs from PTI)