Relieved Bengal top cop Rajiv Kumar fails to report for duty at MHA after EC direction

A day after Election Commission relieved Bengal Additional Director General, CID, Rajiv Kumar from his duty after violence in the state during BJP president Amit Shah's rally, Kumar was directed to report to his new duty in the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.

Rajiv Kumar was directed by the election commission to report for his new duty but he missed 10 am reporting time after the poll body relieved him from his post of ADG CID in the Bengal.

As per the Home Ministry sources, Rajiv Kumar neither joined the ministry nor gave any information.

Rajiv Kumar, the former Kolkata Police Commissioner, has earlier been questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the multi-crore Saradha chit fund scam.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had in February staged a 70-hour dharna after the CBI made a bid to question Kumar at his residence in Kolkata, which was thwarted by the local police. The CBI later had latter approached the Supreme Court to seek permission regarding the interrogation of the IPS officer.

The Election Commission Wednesday relieved Rajiv Kumar from his post of ADG CID, with orders to report for duty in the Union Home Ministry in New Delhi Thursday at 10 am.

Kolkata witnessed wide-spread violence during BJP president Amit Shah's massive roadshow Tuesday. A bust of 19th century Bengali icon Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar was also vandalised during the violence. Following this development, the poll body curtailed campaigning in the region. 

Attacking the Election Commission for curtailing the campaigning for the last phase of polls in West Bengal, chief minister Mamata Banerjee Wednesday said it is an "unprecedented, unconstitutional and unethical gift" to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah by the poll panel.

"The ECI is taking all the decisions at the behsest of the BJP. I have never seen this type of ECI ever. I think all the RSS people have been included in the ECI. The ECI is biased," she alleged.

In the first such action in India's electoral history, the EC Wednesday invoked Article 324 of the Constitution to curtail the campaigning for the last phase of the election on May 19 in the wake of violence between BJP and Trinamool Congress workers in Kolkata Tuesday.

It ordered that campaigning in nine seats will end at 10 pm on Thursday, a day before its scheduled deadline.

Criticising EC's decision, Mamata said, "I have never criticised any constitutional body but today the people of Bengal are under attack, the federal structure is under attack. The great son of this soil is under attack. There is a limit to humiliation and insult," she said.

The poll panel also ordered the removal of Principal Secretary (Home) Atri Bhattacharya and Additional Director General, CID, Rajiv Kumar from their postings in West Bengal.

Banerjee said, "What wrong has the home secretary done? He has only written a letter asking the EC to take help of the local police. Law and order is a state subject." Describing Rajiv Kumar as a good officer, she said, "Why are you (BJP) scared of Rajeev Kumar? You removed him because he is capturing hawala operators. Both the officers were removed not by the EC, but by Modi and Shah."

(With inputs from PTI)