Kolkata, Jul 14 (PTI) The BJP government in West Bengal on Tuesday carried out a sweeping reshuffle of the state's police leadership, transferring 28 IPS and five WBPS officers in a move that places several key officers at the centre of the administration's anti-corruption and law-and-order agenda while moving others from high-profile assignments.

The reshuffle saw Additional Director General (ADG), CID, Supratim Sarkar shifted as ADG, Telecommunications, with Director General of Correctional Services N R Babu taking over as the new Director General and Inspector General (DG & IGP), CID.

The changes come barely three months after the BJP assumed office and amid the government's repeated assertions that it intends to investigate alleged "institutional corruption" during the previous Trinamool Congress regime.

Among the most significant appointments was that of ADG (North Bengal) K Jayraman, who was posted as Director of the Directorate of Economic Offences (DEO), the specialised wing expected to play a key role in probing financial irregularities.

Jayraman, a 1997-batch IPS officer known within the police establishment for his tough policing style, has recently been serving as member secretary of the Justice Biswajit Basu Commission constituted by the state government to inquire into alleged financial irregularities during the previous regime.

Police officers recalled that as Siliguri Police Commissioner in 2013, Jayraman had overseen the arrest of then IAS officer Godala Kiran Kumar in connection with the alleged Siliguri Jalpaiguri Development Authority scam, one of the most high-profile corruption cases in north Bengal at the time.

Officials said his posting to the Economic Offences wing signals the government's intent to strengthen investigations into financial crimes.

Sarkar's transfer also carries institutional significance.

The former Kolkata Police Commissioner was removed from the city's top police post by the Election Commission ahead of this year's assembly elections as part of its routine exercise to ensure neutrality during the polls. He was subsequently posted as ADG, CID, one of the state's most influential investigative assignments, and had also served as a police observer in Tamil Nadu during the elections.

His move to the Telecommunications wing is being viewed in police circles as a shift away from one of the state's most visible investigative positions.

Another officer whose posting drew attention was Praveen Kumar Tripathi, who was shifted from Inspector General of the Special Task Force (STF) to Inspector General, Home Guards. He had earlier held several key positions, including chief of Kolkata Police's Detective Department and police commissioner of Howrah and Barrackpore during the previous government.

Sudheer Kumar Neelakanthan was named the new IG, STF.

In another key change, Amit Kumar Rathod was appointed Commissioner of Bidhannagar Police, replacing Tripurari Atharv, who was moved as ADG, Traffic and Road Safety.

Rathod was serving as Deputy Inspector General of the Raiganj Range.

The government also posted Anand Singh as ADG, Western Zone, replacing Vishal Garg, who was appointed ADG, Intelligence Branch.

Pradeep Kumar Yadav was posted as Deputy Commissioner in Kolkata Police's Cyber Wing, while Bishop Sarkar was appointed Commanding Officer of the newly raised Narayani Battalion in Cooch Behar.

Y S Jagannathrao replaced Pratiksha Jharkhariya as Superintendent of Police of Darjeeling district, while Manish Joshi succeeded Jaspreet Singh as SP of Cooch Behar.

N R Babu, who had been heading the Correctional Services, will continue to hold additional charge of the prisons department while leading the CID.

His appointment comes days after the state government publicly praised the Correctional Services department following the recovery of mobile phones and SIM cards during surprise searches inside Presidency Correctional Home.

The reshuffle also extended to district-level policing.

In the violence-hit Baruipur Police District, Atish Biswas was appointed Additional SP (Zonal), replacing Pinaki Dutta, who was shifted as Additional SP, DIB.

Baruipur has witnessed a series of sensational crimes in recent weeks, including the alleged rape and murder of a minor, a lynching incident and the murder of a 17-year-old following a dispute linked to a football match, prompting renewed scrutiny of policing in the district. PTI AMR ACD PNT RG