Kolkata: Chief minister Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday announced the suspension of five police personnel, including IPS officer Koteswar Rao, for “misusing” powers and “hurting faith” of people in different incidents during the previous govt.The suspended police officers are linked to different incidents including the police firing at Rajbanshi youth Mrityunjay Burman at Kaliaganj, the controversial transportation of a Kali idol in a prison van at Kakdwip, the alleged harassment of former IPS officer Pankaj Dutta and the police atrocity during the Jagaddhatri idol immersion procession in Krishnanagar.Present at the assembly on Saturday, Adhikari said, “In various places, the police had misused power and in some places the faith (’aastha’) of those who follow the Sanatan Dharma had been assaulted.”
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Adhikari referred to the incident at Kakdwip last year in which police transported a vandalized idol of Goddess Kali in a prison van amid protests. This led to a major political uproar and subsequent administrative action. “Locals protested vandalism of the idol and the protest went on for a long time. Around 12 in the afternoon, under the direction of the then police SP of Sundarbans district, Koteswar Rao, 500 cops went and conducted a massive lathicharge to disperse the crowd.”“Up to this point, it was still fine. After that, the Kali idol was taken to the police station in a prison van. I announce the suspension of IPS Koteswar Rao,” Adhikari said.He also referred to the incident at Kaliagunj of Uttar Dinajpur in which a student of class 9, from a Rajbanshi family, was physically tortured and murdered. Her body was found floating in a pond. “When locals gathered peacefully in front of the Kaliagunj PS for an agitation, an altercation took place with the police. Cops forcibly removed the family from the road and took away the body of that little girl. It went viral on social media, how the body was taken away in a stripped state,” he said.He also referred to the murder of Rajbanshi youth, Mrityunjoy Burman, who used to work temporarily in Siliguri. He said that Kaliagunj police ASI, Moazzem Hosein’s role was probed and he has been suspended. He has also given directives to file an FIR. “If necessary, even harsher measures will be taken,” the CM said.Sub-inspector Sadhan Das, who was allegedly involved in the harassment of retired IPS officer Pankaj Dutta, was also suspended. Adhikari alleged that the harassment happened at the instruction of former CM Mamata Banerjee. The IC of the police station, Subarno Dutta Chowdhury, who is currently in Kolkata Police Special Branch, has also been suspended.He said that on the day of Jagadhatri Puja immersion in Krishnanagar last year, those who went for the immersion were brutally lathicharged. Inspector Amalendu Biswas has been suspended and departmental proceedings will begin against him, he added.
