ECI suspends four police officers over Bhowanipore unrest
The Statesman | 6 April 2026
The Election Commission of India has ordered suspension of four police officers in connection with the violence that erupted during a roadshow in Bhowanipore ahead of BJP candidate Suvendu Adhikari’s nomination filing, which was attended by Union home minister Amit Shah.
The Commission cited a breakdown of law and order during the incident and directed immediate disciplinary action against the officers.
It has also ordered a departmental inquiry against them.
The suspended officers include Kolkata Police DC (Zone II) Siddhartha Dutta, Alipore Police Station Officer-in-Charge Priyankar Chakraborty, Additional OC Chandicharan Bandyopadhyay, and Sergeant Sourav Chattopadhyay.
In a letter to Chief Secretary Dushmanta Nariala, the Commission instructed that the officers be suspended without delay and replaced at the earliest.
It also directed that a compliance report be submitted by 11 a.m. on Sunday.
Copies of the directive have been sent to Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Agarwal, Kolkata Police Commissioner Ajay Nand, and Home Secretary Sanghamitra Ghosh.
Following the unrest, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar held a meeting with top state officials.
Three separate complaints were lodged at Kalighat and Alipore police stations regarding the incident, leading to the registration of FIRs.
Two of the FIRs were filed suo motu by the police, while action was also initiated based on complaints from Election Commission officials.
The allegations primarily relate to unlawful assembly, sloganeering, counter-sloganeering, violation of official guidelines, and the escalation of tensions during the roadshow, which led to the volatile situation in Bhowanipore.