Alapan issue, IPS officers’ transfer signal bigger conflict

Amid the escalating conflict between the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government and the Centre over now-retired Chief Secretary of West Bengal Alapan Bandyopadhyay, with the Centre serving him a show-cause notice under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, the CM seems to be playing a delicate balancing act. While CM Mamata Banerjee is keen on projecting Bandyopadhyay’s retirement as her “own victory” and wants to take this fight forward not only administratively, but also politically, she is trying to ensure that all this does not create a backlash among the bureaucrats.

The developments come even as the West Bengal government on Monday evening transferred many IPS officers. One of the names in this list is that of Praveen Tripathi. Who is Praveen Tripathi? On 10 December last year in Diamond Harbour, BJP president J.P. Nadda’s convoy was attacked. After that incident, three IPS officers were summoned to Delhi. Tripathi was one of them. At that time, he was working as a DIG of Presidency Range. The Mamata Banerjee administration did not send the three officers to Delhi. They were removed from office.

Incidentally, the Centre had transferred the three IPS officers to various posts in the Central government after the attack on Nadda’s convoy at Diamond Harbour on 10 December. Soon after the incident, Diamond Harbour Superintendent of Police Bholanath Pandey, DIG Presidency Range Praveen Tripathi and IG South Bengal Rajiv Mishra were transferred on Central deputation. However, the state did not give them permission to join central posts.

The state administration possibly did not estimate how “strict” the Centre would be on the Alapan issue. On the contrary, bureaucrats close to Mamata Banerjee have repeatedly told her that the Centre has nothing to do with this issue. 

Now, Praveen Kumar Tripathi has been given the “prize post” of DIG Malda Range on the same day when Alapan Bandyopadhyay was show-caused by the Centre. Thus, Mamata Banerjee has thrown a kind of counter-challenge at the Centre.

However, another name in the list of IPS transfers has caught attention. DIG Kunal Agarwal of Medinipur Range has been sent on “compulsory waiting”. Why? According to Nabanno sources, Nandigram is the reason. Mamata Banerjee lost to now Leader of Opposition of West Bengal and MLA from Nandigram Suvendu Adhikari in Nandigram. Within a month of coming to power, the SP of Medinipur was replaced. Now, Kunal Agarwal has been sent on “compulsory waiting”. At one time, he was considered a very close officer to the Chief Minister. He was the police Super of Darjeeling and Burdwan. He has been given “punishment”. During the polls, Mamata Banerjee had repeatedly complained that many police officers were in touch with the BJP. After the Alapan Bandyopadhyay issue, CM Mamata Banerjee seems to be trying her best to “take control” of the IAS and IPS.