First Day At Office, CM Mamata Banerjee Reinstates IPS Officers Transferred By EC

Mamata Banerjee Reinstates IPS Officers: Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday transferred as many as thirty top officers, including DGP P Nirajnayan, to the state police.

The Trinamool Congress chief, who was recently elected for a third consecutive term in the state, took oath at Raj Bhavan on Wednesday (May 5) morning in the presence of WB Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar. This was her first action after being sworn in as the Chief Minister of West Bengal.

The chief minister worked on a major reshuffle in the police department, reinstating the top-level IPS officers, mostly those who were transferred after the Election Commission took over ahead of state assembly polls, to their previous positions.

Her decision came on the same day Centre wrote a letter to West Bengal stating that the state had not responded yet to a report demanded on the post-election violence in various regions in the state. Reportedly, 14 people have died in the violence.

On May 5, in a low-key swearing-in ceremony, Banerjee addressed the reports of political violence as well as the COVID-19 situation in West Bengal. “There was a lot of inefficiency in the state system during this time. I will set up a new police system today itself and tackle the violence with utmost firmness," she added that tackling the “law and order” in the state was a priority for her. “I appeal to all political parties to refrain from any sort of violence. I will be posting special officers to handle the situation and will handle the situation sternly,” Banerjee further said.

She said, they will not tolerate any violence and take strong action against the culprits. Accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of spreading fake news regarding the violence, she added, "Many sporadic incidents were reported, all were not real. Many of them are fake. The BJP is showing old or fake videos.”

Earlier, greeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his congratulatory message on her taking oath as Bengal Chief Minister, the TMC chief said she is looking forward to having the Centre's support. "Thank you Narendra Modi ji for your wishes. I look forward to the Centre's sustained support keeping the best interest of WB in mind. I extend my full cooperation and hope together we can fight this pandemic amid other challenges and set a new benchmark for Centre-State relations," she wrote.

Read all you need to know about Mamata Banerjee’s swearing-in ceremony here.

Thank you @narendramodi ji for your wishes.

I look forward to the Centre's sustained support keeping the best interest of WB in mind.

I extend my full cooperation & hope together we can fight this pandemic amid other challenges & set a new benchmark for Centre-State relations. https://t.co/DORcTPb2UG

— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) May 5, 2021

The reinstated cops include DG Virendra, ADG (Law and Order) Jawed Shamim, DG Security Vivek Sahay, ADG (Law and Order) Jagmohan among others.

Many elected ministers are prepping to be sworn in on May 9, the birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore, TMC sources said.

Furthermore, Banerjee is already eyeing the Lok Sabha elections in 2024. “I am a street fighter. All I can do is give a boost to the people to fight together in 2024. I think, all together, we can fight the battle for 2024. But right now we have to fight COVID-19. We have to defeat it first. Then we can discuss all this. We can hold a Brigade rally where leaders from other states will be called,” she said recently.

Feature Image Credit: The Hans India