Breking: West Bengal escalates Center-State conflict over transfer of three IPS officers

The Center said that three IPS officers from West Bengal would be immediately released and sent to the central deputation..

Central government transfers three IPS officers in West Bengal, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has strongly condemned the incident.

 New Delhi: Three West Bengal IPS officers have been immediately released and sent to central deputation, the Center said.  Officials familiar with the matter said the three IPS officers have already been given new responsibilities.

 Why transfer

 Rajiv Mishra (ADG, South Bengal), Praveen Tripathi (DIG, Presidency Range) and Bholanath Pandey (SP, Diamond Harbor) are the three IPS officers under the watchful eye of BJP president JP Nadda on his way to a meeting at Diamond Harbor on December 10.  It was learned on Thursday afternoon that the Home Ministry was going to transfer them out of the state.

 Earlier, the home ministry had requested the state to send the three officers on deputation.  But not without them.  The state government informed the ministry in a letter that the three officers would not be released.

 Criticism of the Chief Minister

 Contacting the Chief Secretary of the state on the same day, the Home Ministry said that according to the rules of the IPS cadre, the objection of the state government in the case of any such dispute is not acceptable.

                         

GoI’s order of central deputation for the 3 serving IPS officers of West Bengal despite the State’s objection is a colourable exercise of power and blatant misuse of emergency provision of IPS Cadre Rule 1954. (1/3)

— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) December 17, 2020

 Criticizing the directive, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee termed the Centre's move as an abuse of the emergency provisions of the IPS Cadre Rules, 1954.

                        

This act is nothing but a deliberate attempt to encroach upon State’s jurisdiction & demoralize the serving officers in WB. This move, particularly before the elections is against the basic tenets of the federal structure. It's unconstitutional & completely unacceptable! (2/3)

— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) December 17, 2020

                           

We wouldn’t allow this brazen attempt by the Centre to control the State machinery by proxy! West Bengal is not going to cow-down in front of expansionist & undemocratic forces. (3/3)

— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) December 17, 2020

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 Mamata has tweeted several times criticizing the central directive to send three IPS officers to the Central Deputation.  In one, he wrote, “The center wants to take control of the administrative system of the state by detour.  We will not accept this step at all.  West Bengal will not bow down to hegemonic, undemocratic forces. ”

 Where to transfer

 Rajiv Mishra- ITBP (Indo-Tibetan Border Police), for five years.

 Veteran Tripathi- SSB (Subsidiary Intelligence Bureau), for three years.

 Bholanath Pandey- BPRD (Bureau of Police Research), for three years.

 * Each of the above appointments has been made under the Ministry of Home Affairs.