Five top cops in Bidhannagar in five days; officers confused

KOLKATA: To text or not to text. Officers of Bidhannagar Commissionerate, who are used to sending congratulatory text messages as a gesture to the new commissioner, are up against a tricky situation with the township witnessing as many five commissioners in five days.
“For three consecutive days, I had sent congratulatory and welcome text messages to the new commissioners. But with all of them being changed within 24 hours, I am in a dilemma whether to send a text to the new CP or wait for 24 hours,” an officer said. Local political leaders and industrialists who often send flower bouquets as a welcome gift, too, have been foxed by the frequent changes
Since last Sunday, the state government has issued four orders on consecutive days, naming a new person for the post of the police chief of Bidhannagar Commissionerate, raising questions about lucidity in the decision-making process at the top level of the administration. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee heads of the home (police) affairs portfolio.

While the transfers were dubbed as “routine”, the pace at which the government has issued the orders has been unprecedented. More so, the transfers have come at a time, when a spate of crimes hit the township.
Till May 25, Natarajan Ramesh Babu was the commissioner of Bidhannagar City Police. On May 26 evening, an order replaced Babu with former Bidhannagar Commissioner Gyanwant Singh, who was shifted to the directorate of economic offences wing as per an order by the ECI before the election.
With much fanfare, Singh joined office the next morning and held multiple meetings and conferences with his officers before a fresh order was released the next evening, promoting Singh to the post of ADG Law and order and appointing Nishat Parvez — the DIG of CID, who had earlier served as DC (headquarters) with Bidhannagar police — as the new police commissioner.
Parvez who was flooded with congratulatory texts did not come to office as another order was issued posting the Siliguri Commissionerate chief Bharat Lal Meena as the township’s top cop, sending Parvez back to his old post at CID. On the same day, the second-in-command at the commissionerate, Amit Javalgi was transferred to IB as special superintendent and Kunal Agarwal from CID was brought to Javalgi’s position.
However, even before Meena could take charge, he, too, was replaced on Wednesday evening, making way for Lakshmi Narayan Meena, who was recently promoted to the rank of IG last year.
Till late on Thursday, LN Meena, who lives in New Town, was yet to take charge, and according to sources, if there are no new changes, he is likely to join on June 1. “Thankfully Javalgi sir is still in office till the new DC (HQ) joins. We are working following his instructions,” said the officer in-charge at a Bidhannagar police station.