BJP urges EC to remove Bengal security advisor

The West Bengal BJP leadership on Tuesday accused state security advisor Surajit Kar Purkayastha of barring state police officers from "working freely" and urged the Election Commission (EC) to remove him immediately.

Accusing the Mamata Banerjee government of "arbitrarily creating" the designation of security advisor to use it for political benefits, the saffron party also demanded that the post be immediately dissolved by the EC.

"The state security advisor in West Bengal is the reason of all problems. It is because of him that the district police superintendents and senior officers, OCs and ICs are not able to work freely," BJP National Secretary Rahul Sinha told reporters here.

"The state government created this unreasonable post in order to use it for the political benefit of the ruling party. We appeal to the Election Commission to immediately remove Purkayastha and dissolve the post," he said.

The BJP's demand was made soon after the EC removed Cooch Behar district Superintendent of Police Abhishek Gupta two days ahead of the Lok Sabha polls in the area and replaced him with Amit Kumar Singh.

The West Bengal government had in March last year, created the post of state security advisor on the lines of the national security adviser (NSA) and named the then outgoing director general of police, Surajit Kar Purkayastha, to fill the post.

Purkayastha, who retired on March 31, 2018, assumed the charge of security advisor in June last year.

--IANS

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