Anuj Sharma replaces Rajeev Kumar as new Kolkata Police Commissioner

Rajeev Kumar, who served as the city police chief since May 2016, was shifted to the post of Additional Director General of the State CID Department.

Rajeev Kumar out side his residence after CBI offcials were detained by Kolkata police those came to questioning him in connection with the Saradha ponzi scam. Photo: PTI

KOLKATA: In a major reshuffle, Additional Director General of West Bengal Police (Law and Order) Anuj Sharma on Tuesday took charge as the new Kolkata Police Commissioner. He replaced Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Rajeev Kumar, who came under the CBI scanner for his alleged role in tampering evidence in the Saradha chit fund scam. Kumar, who served as the city police chief since May 2016, was shifted to the post of Additional Director General of the State CID Department. Earlier this month, a CBI raid at Rajeev Kumar’s house triggered a bitter tussle between Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the Centre after CBI sleuths who had gone to quiz him were bundled into a police van and detained by the Kolkata Police. Later, the CBI moved the Supreme Court alleging destruction of evidence by  Rajeev Kumar in ponzi scam cases. The Supreme Court on February 5 had directed Kumar to "faithfully cooperate with the investigating agency at all times" in connection with the chit fund scam and had ordered that the agency will not take any coercive steps including his arrest. Kumar was recently grilled for 40 hours in five days in connection with the Saradha chit fund scam by the CBI. The CBI had told the apex court that Kumar, who was leading the SIT in the Saradha chit fund scam, destroyed, destructed and tampered with material evidence in the form of call detail records (CDRs) of the prime accused and potential accused persons. The agency had said a strong prima facie case of Kumar having committed offences both under Prevention of Corruption Act and other IPC offences has been made out. It had also claimed that companies like Saradha, Rose Valley and Tower Group had given huge contributions to the Trinamool Congress. The agency had said that the entire SIT, set up by the West Bengal government, is under investigation as it was conniving with accused and potential accused to subvert the investigating process. It had said there are large number of hard discs and other material still in custody of Kumar which he had collected as an investigating officer being the head of the SIT and being the functional head and day-to-day in-charge of SIT. The CBI had said Kumar is prima facie guilty of having committed criminal offences and has not coordinated in spite of the summons being issued.