Siliguri police commissioner transferred for arresting district magistrate

Siliguri: The West Bengal government has transferred Siliguri police commissioner for arresting the district magistrate of Malda on charges of corruption.

The District Magistrate, Godala Kiran Kumar, was summoned yesterday for questioning on alleged misappropriation of development funds, including sewerage, tender work and supply of CCTV cameras when he was the CEO of Siliguri

Jalpaiguri Development Authority (SDJA) between 2012-13, Siliguri Police Commissioner K Jayaraman said.

He was arrested subsequently, Jayaraman said.

The district magistrate was produced today in a fast track court in Siliguri which remanded him to police custody for four days.

Chief Secretary Sanjay Mitra, however, said in Kolkata that Jayaraman had exceeded his brief in arresting Kumar and had been summoned to Kolkata immediately after handing over the charge.

Mitra said, "We think that the Commissioner has exceeded his brief as he neither informed the state government nor sought its approval which is required in case of steps against a senior officer as it has an impact on the administration as a whole.

"I think that this was not very necessary. We think arrest is warranted only when there is an apprehension that the concerned person would tamper with the evidence, abscond or influence witnesses. In this case, none of these are

applicable," he said.

"It, however, does not mean that the guilty would not be punished," he said. He said that Javed Shamim, the Special IG & DIG, Jalpaiguri Range would temporarily look after Jayaraman's post.