Kolkata, April 25 (IANS) The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Saturday evening ordered the replacement of the officers-in-charge (OCs) of three police stations in Kolkata, including that of the police station under whose jurisdiction the official residence of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee falls.

The transfers of these three OCs, all inspector-rank police officers, come less than four days before the Assembly constituencies in the state capital of Kolkata go to the polls in the second phase of the two-phase Assembly elections in West Bengal on April 29.

A total of 142 Assembly constituencies will go to the polls in the second phase on April 29, including those in Kolkata.

Of the three OCs under the jurisdiction of Kolkata Police whose replacements have been ordered by the ECI on Saturday evening, one is Utpal Ghosh, the OC of Kalighat Police Station, under whose jurisdiction the official residence of the Chief Minister at Harish Chatterjee Street falls.

Ghosh has been replaced by Gautam Das, who was earlier posted as an inspector attached to the Special Branch of Kolkata Police.

The ECI has also ordered the transfer of the additional OC of Kalighat Police Station, Uttam Paik. Apart from this, the Commission has also ordered the change of the OCs of Alipore and Ultadanga Women’s Police Stations. Subrata Pandey has been made the new OC of Alipore Police Station.

The ECI has also changed the OC of Ultadanga Women’s Police Station. Chameli Mukherjee has been brought in charge of that police station. She was the additional OC of Alipore Police Station.

The transfers of both the OC and the additional OC of Kalighat Police Station are significant on two counts. First, the official residence of the Chief Minister falls under the jurisdiction of Kalighat Police Station.

Secondly, Kalighat Police Station is one of the police stations under the Bhabanipur Assembly constituency in south Kolkata, which is the most high-profile Assembly constituency in the West Bengal Assembly polls this time, considering that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari are pitted against each other in Bhabanipur.

–IANS

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