ECI continues police overhaul, replaces 5 DIGs across key Bengal ranges

Third day in a row, Election Commission of India (ECI) in a fresh notification the poll body removed five Deputy Inspectors General (DIGs) across crucial police ranges in West Bengal, further intensifying its administrative intervention ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.

This comes after the ECI removed top ranking police officers in the rank of CP, IG SPs and DC level earlier.

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In its latest order, the Election Commission of India directed the removal and replacement of DIGs in Raiganj, Murshidabad, Burdwan, Jalpaiguri and Presidency ranges.

The commission has also issued detailed instructions regarding the new postings and asked the incoming officers to assume charge by Thursday morning.

As per the notification, Amit Kumar Bharat Rathore, a 2009-batch IPS officer who was serving as DIG of traffic and road safety, has been appointed as the new DIG of Raiganj Range. He will be replacing Nimbalkar Santosh Uttamrao who was recently posted there.

In Murshidabad Range, Ajit Singh Yadav, a 2011-batch IPS officer who was previously serving as SP (DEO), has been brought in as the new DIG.

He replaces Sudhir Kumar Neelakantam, who had only recently been shifted to the post from Raiganj Range but has now been removed by the commission.

In Jalpaiguri Range, the commission has replaced DIG Waqar Raza with Anjali Singh, a 2009-batch IPS officer who was serving as DIG, Traffic.

The move is being seen as significant given the strategic importance of north Bengal during elections.

Similarly, in Burdwan Range, DIG Shyam Singh has been removed and replaced with Shrihari Pandey, a 2011-batch IPS officer who was earlier posted as DIG of Intelligence Branch in north Bengal.

The ECI has also affected changes in the Presidency Range where Kankar Prosad Bami has been posted as the new DIG replacing Bhaskar Mukherjee.

The commission with these transfers has completed the reshuffle across five key zones, although the focus of the directive remains on ensuring administrative neutrality and efficiency in sensitive regions.

The latest reshuffle comes in the backdrop of an unprecedented overhaul carried out by the Commission earlier this week.

In that round, several top-ranking police officials, including those at the level of Inspector General (IG), Commissioners of Police (CP), Superintendents of Police (SPs), and a Deputy Commissioner in Kolkata Police, were removed or transferred.

This followed a major administrative shake-up that saw the removal of key bureaucrats, including the Chief Secretary, Home Secretary, Director General of Police and the Kolkata Police Commissioner, soon after the announcement of the poll schedule.

Subsequently, the commission replaced IG-level officers in both south Bengal and north Bengal, along with Commissioners of Police in multiple urban commissionerates such as Asansol-Durgapur, Howrah, Barrackpore and Chandannagar. In addition, over a dozen SP-level officers were transferred across districts, significantly altering the policing structure at the grassroots level.

Officials said the continuing reshuffle reflects the commission’s intent to exercise strict control over the administrative and law-and-order machinery to ensure free and fair elections.

The poll body has also reiterated that officers who have been removed or transferred should not be assigned any election-related duties until the completion of the electoral process.

While the sweeping changes have drawn political reactions from the state leadership over their timing and scale, the commission has continued with its phased restructuring, signalling a firm approach to election management in West Bengal.