IPS officer Gyanwant Singh appointed as CM Mamata’s chief of security

Bengal, March 15: IPS officer Gyanwant Singh has been appointed West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s new Director of Security after the Election Commission issued a direction to the state Chief Secretary.

Gyanwant Singh will be in the rank of Additional Director General of Police (ADGP). He was poll-bound West Bengal’s Additional Director of Security.

On Sunday, the Election Commission (EC) suspended IPS officer Vivek Sahay, Mamata Banerjee’s then acting Director of Security, for lapses that led to her being injured in Nandigram last week.

The BJP has named both Vivek Sahay and Gyanwant Singh in its letters to the Election Commission and accused both of misusing their position to influence votes in favour of a particular party.

While campaigning in Nandigram, Mamata Banerjee had suffered injuries on her leg and shoulder and had to be briefly admitted to a hospital in Kolkata.

She had alleged that she was manhandled by 4-5 men. Mamata Banerjee’s TMC blamed the Election Commission for removing the Director General of Police a day before the incident.

After being discharged from the hospital, she has been campaigning in a wheelchair.

The Election Commission has said there is no evidence to show that the Nandigram incident was an attack on Mamata and that her injuries were the result of slack security arrangements.


Also Read: Election Commission rules out attack on West Bengal CM Mamata

EC suspended IPS officer Vivek Sahay, who was in charge of the CM’s security, and Purba Medinipur Superintendent of Police Praween Prakash. It also transferred the Purba Medinipur District Magistrate.

Taking a jibe at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that there was a glitch in his helicopter, but he will not call it a “conspiracy“.

The West Bengal elections will be held in eight phases – March 27, April 1, April 6, April 10, April 17, April 22, April 26 and April 29.