On December 27, 2023, Rajeev Kumar was appointed as the Director General and Inspector General of Police (DG and IGP) of West Bengal.
In the run-up to the Lok Sabha Elections 2024, the Election Commission of India on Monday replaced six Home Secretaries, including key officials from Gujarat, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh, and also transferred the Director General of Police of West Bengal, a state that has often experienced unrest during election periods.
The ruling Trinamool Congress is yet to respond to the removal of DGP Rajeev Kumar from West Bengal. Historically, the state government has objected to last-minute reshuffling of senior civil service and police positions, arguing that such changes disrupt preparations as new appointees require time to acclimate to their roles.
Rajeev Kumar, a 1989-batch IPS officer known for his proximity to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, assumed the role of Bengal DGP in December 2023 following the retirement of Manoj Malaviya. He has previously held prominent positions including Chief of Kolkata Police and Bidhannagar Police, as well as leadership roles in the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and Special Task Force (STF). He has also served as the principal secretary of the Department of Information Technology and Electronics.
In 2019, Kumar faced allegations from the CBI of suppressing and destroying evidence to the Saradha scam while leading a Special Investigation Team (SIT) established by the state government to investigate the matter. The CBI”s search of Kumar”s residence in February 2019 in connection with the Saradha scam prompted Mamata Banerjee to stage a two-day dharna. The demonstration concluded after the Supreme Court granted Kumar protection from arrest by the federal agency.
Who is Rajeev Kumar?
In 2009, when Mamata Banerjee was in the opposition, her Trinamool Congress (TMC) accused the Special Task Force (STF) chief of Kolkata Police of phone surveillance targeting her. A decade later, in 2019, Banerjee vehemently opposed the Central Bureau of Investigation”s (CBI) investigation into the same IPS officer”s involvement in the Saradha chit fund case.
On December 27, 2023, Rajeev Kumar was appointed as the Director General and Inspector General of Police (DG and IGP) of West Bengal. Prior to this, Kumar served as the principal secretary of the state IT department, showcasing his proficiency in investigation and electronic surveillance.
A trusted officer of former Chief Minister of Bengal Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, Kumar”s ascent to prominence is marked by a mix of controversies and accolades. A 1989-batch IPS officer with an engineering degree from IIT Roorkee, Kumar held various prestigious positions, including Commissioner of Kolkata Police, Joint Commissioner (Special Task Force), and Director General (CID), among others.
Neeraj Kumar, former Delhi Police commissioner, lauded Rajeev Kumar”s investigative prowess in his book “Dial D for Don,” particularly highlighting Kumar”s role as senior superintendent of CID following the American Center attack in 2001 and the high-profile kidnapping case involving Partha Pratim Roy Burman, CEO of Khadim shoe company.
Hailing from Uttar Pradesh, Rajeev Kumar found himself thrust into the limelight as the STF chief in 2009 amid allegations from Mukul Roy, then national general secretary of the Trinamool Congress (TMC). Roy accused him of phone surveillance on behalf of the Left Front government, targeting Mamata Banerjee, the then Railway Minister.
During the Left”s tenure in Bengal, Banerjee him Kumar, then head of Kolkata Police”s Special Task Force, of spying on opposition figures, labeling his policing tactics as “unconstitutional”.
In 2011, with the TMC”s ascent to power, attempts were made to relegate Kumar to a lesser role, but senior police officials intervened to block the move. Subsequently, when the Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate was established in 2012, Kumar assumed the role of its inaugural commissioner.
The Saradha chit fund scandal erupted in 2013, placing immense pressure on the TMC administration. Kumar”s arrest of Saradha group chairman Sudipta Sen and his associate Debjani Mukherjee from Kashmir thrust him into the spotlight as he spearheaded the subsequent SIT investigation. His handling of the case earned both praise and criticism due to his perceived proximity to the ruling establishment.
In November 2013, Kunal Ghosh, then a rebel TMC MP and now party spokesperson, was arrested by the SIT. The Supreme Court, responding to a petition by senior Congress leader Abdul Mannan, ordered a CBI inquiry into the chit-fund scam in May 2014.
By now, Kumar”s stature within the TMC was heading north, and soon he was appointed as additional director general of CID.
Kumar became the 21st police commissioner of Kolkata in February 2016. However, controversies continued to dog him, such as the incident where two Kolkata Police officers, posing as cattle smugglers, attempted to bribe BJP national secretary Rahul Sinha. This event occurred shortly after Narada News released sting videos purportedly implicating Trinamool Congress leaders in financial improprieties.
Amid the turmoil, during the 2016 assembly elections, the Election Commission replaced Kumar, but when Mamata Banerjee was re-elected for a second consecutive term, he was also reinstated to his post.
In February 2019, Mamata Banerjee staged a two-day dharna in response to a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) visit to the residence of IPS officer Rajeev Kumar as part of their inquiries into chit fund cases. The protest ended after the Supreme Court provided Kumar with protection from potential arrest.
During the Lok Sabha elections later that year, the Election Commission again replaced Kumar with Anuj Sharma, leading to Kumar”s transfer to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) as Additional Director General (ADG).
By December 2019, Kumar assumed the role of principal secretary in the Information Technology and Electronics department.
The Saradha chit fund scandal, at the heart of these investigations, encompasses an estimated ₹2,460 crore amassed from over one million depositors spanning West Bengal, Assam, Jharkhand, Odisha, and Chhattisgarh.
