Kolkata Police to set up outpost near Kalighat temple
Times of India | 15 August 2026
Kolkata: Lalbazar has decided to set up a police outpost near Kalighat temple to boost security, manage large crowds, and ensure public safety following a directive from Kolkata Police commissioner Ajay Nand.
Under the new order, the outpost will be set up at a suitable site near the temple compound and will draw its manpower directly from the South Division of Kolkata Police. Kalighat Police Station is less than 300 m from the main gate of the temple.
The outpost will have an initial strength of 20 personnel, led by an officer of inspector rank (non-investigating cadre) as the OC. The team will also include two officers of SI or sergeant rank, along with eight constables and five woman constables.
The new facility will operate directly under the jurisdiction of the existing Kalighat Police Station.
In June, state finance minister Swapan Dasgupta had said that mafia control of the Kalighat temple complex will be a “thing of the past”. “There is a law-and-order issue here, and a great amount of ‘tola-baji’ (extortion),” he had said.