Days after facing criticism for an alleged baton charge on residents around his bungalow, Cooch Behar Superintendent of Police Dyutiman Bhattacharya has been removed from his post and transferred as commandant of the third battalion of the Special Armed Force. The Indian Express reported that, according to an order dated October 23, he has replaced Sandip Karra, who was earlier Deputy Commissioner of Police (West Zone) in Asansol-Durgapur Police Commissionerate.
Late-night cracker controversy
The incident took place on October 20, Kali Puja. The West Bengal Pollution Control Board permitted only eco-friendly green crackers between 8 pm and 10 pm. Locals complained that a group of individuals was bursting crackers outside the SP's house in the Railgumti locality after midnight. Later, locals alleged that Bhattacharya, along with other policemen, had baton-charged them. CCTV footage allegedly of Bhattacharya baton-charging the crowd went viral on social media, triggering widespread outrage.
Locals stage protests, arrests ensue
Locals clogged the road in front of the SP's residence in protest the next day. Ten individuals, three of them women, were arrested by the police to clear the crowd. The arrested were taken before the court of the Cooch Behar Chief Judicial Magistrate, and the three women were granted bail. The case is to be heard again on Friday, The Indian Express reported.
Bhattacharya dismissed the use of force to the local media, saying, "Some people were bursting crackers near my house. We thought it would end shortly, but it continued past midnight. My wife counted 60 such firecrackers; some even fell inside our residence. Our dogs were scared and screaming. The guards went and asked them to stop. There was no beating." North Bengal Development Minister Udayan Guha stated, “This may be a routine transfer. I do not have information on whether it is related to the alleged lathi-charge.”
According to The Indian Express report, the lawyer, Shiben Roy, representing the arrested, said, “Out of the ten people arrested, three got bail. Police slapped stringent sections against those who blocked the road. But where is the evidence?”
Nikhil Ranjan Dey, BJP MLA from Cooch Behar Dakshin, said, "The SP who beat up men and women with lathis should have been booked and punished. But we welcome the transfer." Opposition leader, BJP MLA Suvendu Adhikari, criticised the SP for alleged “high-handed” actions, while party workers staged a protest outside Kotwali police station on Wednesday.
