Bengal govt names Rajeev Kumar new DGP, Gopalika as chief secy

Officials said the state government has also named Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Bhagwati Prasad Gopalika as the new chief secretary of the state.

Gopalika, a 1989-batch IAS officer, will replace HK Dwivedi — a 1988-batch IAS officer whose term was extended by the government on June 28 this year. Dwivedi is set to retire on December 31.

After naming Kumar as the acting DGP of the state, the TMC-led government has sent his name to Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).

According to sources, Kumar is considered to be close to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. In 2019, the 1989-batch officer of the West Bengal cadre was questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in alleged connection with the multi-crore Saradha ponzi scheme.

Kumar was part of a special investigation team (SIT) set up by the state government to probe the case. The Supreme Court later handed over the case to the CBI in 2014.

The central probe agency had accused Kumar of not handing over crucial documents related to the case. At that time, he was posted as the Commissioner of the Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate.

He was initially questioned by a special team of CBI at a “neutral place” in Shillong as per a Supreme Court order. Later, he was interrogated again in Kolkata. He was then serving as the Kolkata Police Commissioner.

The Saradha group of companies allegedly duped lakhs of people by promising higher rates of return on their investments.

Alleging a coup against her government, the chief minister had staged a dharna against the CBI action against the top cop.

In the past, Kumar has been roped in for top posts in the West Bengal Criminal Investigation Department (CID), STF and state IT Department.

An alumnus of IIT-Roorkee, Kumar is known for his expertise in fields like electronic surveillance and anti-insurgency operations. During the Left government’s regime, Kumar played an important role in the anti-Maoist operations in the Junglemahal districts. The operation was conducted jointly by the West Bengal Police and the CRPF.

The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) lauded the government’s decision and called Kumar an “able and competent officer”. TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said, “Rajeev Kumar is a very able and competent officer. However, he has to ensure that no innocent people are made scapegoats during his tenure.” Ghosh was one of the accused named by the CBI in the Saradha case.

Senior TMC leader and state minister Firhad Hakim said, “Our Chief Minister never takes any wrong decision.”

Kumar’s appointment as the state police chief stoked a sharp reaction from Opposition parties who alleged that he was a “yes man”.

Leader of Opposition in state Assembly and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Suvendu Adhikari said, “He once saved Mamata Banerjee and now she is rewarding him.”

CPI(Marxist) leader Sujan Chakraborty said, “Mamata Banerjee only gives a (top) post to those who will always be a yes man to her. That is why Rajeev Kumar became the DGP.”