Election Commission Suspends Four Kolkata Police Officers Over Alipore Clash During Amit Shah’s Visit
DC, OC and two other officers face disciplinary action after failing to prevent tension near Mamata’s residence as Shah accompanied Suvendu Adhikari’s nomination filing
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has come down hard on the West Bengal police establishment, suspending four Kolkata Police personnel and initiating disciplinary proceedings against them in connection with a law and order breakdown near the Survey Building in Alipore on April 2, when BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari filed his nomination in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah. New Kerala
Who Has Been Suspended
The four suspended officers are Siddhartha Dutta, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DC-II), South Division; Priyankar Chakraborty, Officer in Charge of Alipore Police Station; Chandi Charan Banerjee, Additional Officer in Charge of Alipore Police Station; and Saurabh Chatterjee, a Sergeant at Alipore Police Station. New Kerala
The ECI’s order stated that the suspension and disciplinary proceedings were to take immediate effect, with a compliance report demanded by 11:00 AM on April 5. The Commission also called for urgent proposals to fill the vacant posts left by the suspended officers.
What Triggered the Action
Tension erupted near Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s residence in south Kolkata as the convoy of Home Minister Shah and Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari made its way to the Alipore Survey Building, where Adhikari was to file his nomination for the Bhabanipur Assembly constituency. Prokerala
Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, at a virtual meeting, raised pointed questions about the lack of proactive police action in controlling the situation near the Chief Minister’s residence, and Kolkata Police Commissioner Ajay Nand also faced the CEC’s displeasure over the incident. Mangalorean.com
On the basis of three separate complaints filed at two police stations in south Kolkata, the police subsequently registered two FIRs in the matter. Prokerala
High-Stakes Electoral Context
Adhikari is contesting the two-phase West Bengal Assembly polls on a BJP ticket from both Bhabanipur and Nandigram. The Bhabanipur contest sets up a direct rematch between Adhikari and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who lost the Nandigram seat to him in the 2021 Assembly elections before bouncing back through a by-election in Bhabanipur. New Kerala
The suspensions come amid a broader EC crackdown on the Bengal police machinery. The Commission had earlier ordered the transfer of 173 police station heads across the state, with officers posted in key constituencies such as Bhabanipur and Nandigram among those reshuffled. NewsDrum
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has hit back at the Election Commission, claiming that all her powers have been stripped away, and alleging that the BJP’s strategy is to get the Assembly polls cancelled and President’s Rule imposed in Bengal. Outlook India
With polling day approaching and the Bhabanipur seat set to be one of the most fiercely watched contests in the country, the standoff between the ECI and the state’s political and police establishment shows no sign of easing.
