West Bengal: Khardah OC, Purulia ASP transferred

KOLKATA/PURULIA: The state on Thursday transferred Khardah officer in charge Animesh Singha Roy and Purulia ASP (headquarters) Chandra Shekhar Bardhan. Roy has been transferred to Howrah while Bardhan has been posted in the State Armed Police as a deputy commanding officer (CO). Roy has been replaced by Sujit Bhattacharya and SDPO, Kurseong Pinaki Dutta has replaced Bardhan.
Dubbed "routine", the transfers came in the wake of the controversy over the arrest of Congress leader Sanmoy Banerjee, who had levelled custodial torture charges after a Purulia court granted him bail on Sunday. However, no reason was cited immediately. Purulia SP Akash Magharia said "It is a routine transfer."
Barrackpore commissioner Manoj Verma said, "I received the transfer orders and sent it to the police officer concerned. I have no authority to clarify it."
Banerjee, a Congress state spokesperson and a former Panihati municipality councillor, was arrested from his Agarpara home on October 18 on charges of circulating "derogatory" content against the Bengal government and chief minister Mamata Banerjee on social media. Acording to sources, he was arrested after a complaint lodged with the cyber crime wing of Purulia police by a local advocate. After getting bail from Purulia court on Sunday, Banerjee had attacked the state and alleged police torture.