Police reforms needed in West Bengal: Calcutta High Court

KOLKATA: The Calcutta High Court on Thursday observed that it is high time police reforms are introduced in West Bengal to bifurcate the law and order wing from the investigating arm.

Hearing a case of a missing girl, the court said that criminal cases suffer because of lack of adequate investigation and lack of adequate materials being produced.

A division bench comprising justices Sanjib Banerjee and Arijit Banerjee observed that though maintaining law and order is an important part of police duty, the investigating arm cannot be compromised.

The court noted that despite time being afforded to the state on December 1 to trace the girl upon its submission that its investigating agency was close to discovering where she may be, further time was sought by it on Thursday.

The inspector in-charge of Arambagh police station submitted a report, but there was no indication as to the whereabouts of the missing girl, the court noted.

The bench directed the superintendent of police of Hooghly district to file a report on the next date of hearing on December 21.

The court directed that copies of the order should be reached to the chief secretary and the home secretary of West Bengal for appropriate measures to be taken in terms of police reforms that remain outstanding in the state for more than a decade after a Supreme Court order on it.