Kolkata Police has formally initiated the process to recall 82 junior-level officers who were transferred to punishment postings in districts across West Bengal nearly a decade ago, following what sources describe as their impartial conduct during the 2016 state Assembly elections. The officers were reportedly penalised for strictly adhering to Election Commission of India (ECI) guidelines while disregarding verbal directions from ruling party leaders at the time.

Background: The 2016 Transfers

According to a city police insider, the 82 sub-inspectors and junior officers were shunted out of Kolkata Police to district postings in 2016 — and none have been recalled in the intervening nine years. At the time of the transfers, Rajeev Kumar — then an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer and now a Trinamool Congress (TMC) Rajya Sabha member — was serving as Commissioner of Kolkata Police.

Previous Attempt That Fell Through

This is not the first effort to bring the officers back. In January 2024, when the Bhangar Division was brought under the jurisdiction of Kolkata Police, then-Commissioner Vineet Kumar Goyal — subsequently suspended — moved a proposal to recall the 82 officers to address the additional manpower demand created by the new division. That proposal, however, did not receive clearance from higher authorities, according to the insider.

Current Commissioner Revives the Move

Current Kolkata Police Commissioner Ajay Nand has now restarted the formal process, writing to the state home department to seek permission for the recall. Alongside this, he has also requested the transfer of additional personnel from the state police to Kolkata Police as an interim measure to partially bridge the manpower gap until fresh recruitments are completed.

Scale of the Shortage

The staffing crisis within Kolkata Police is significant. The total number of vacancies for sub-inspectors currently stands at 673. 'Whether it was the police station level or at the different unit levels, the sub-inspectors are the base of the entire investigation process. So, shortage of staff at that level often hampers smooth functioning,' the city police insider said. The proposal remains pending with the state home department.

What Comes Next

The recall of the 82 officers and the inter-departmental transfer request are both awaiting state government approval. If cleared, the move would partially address a vacancy pool that has grown over a decade of deferred action. Whether the state home department acts swiftly — given the political sensitivity of reversing transfers linked to the 2016 election period — remains to be seen.