Verma is an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of 1998 batch. (Photo: News18)
Sources say that Manoj Verma has been a known problem solver in the West Bengal police under the Left and Trinamool Congress administrations.
Manoj Verma is the new commissioner of police in Kolkata, replacing Vineet Goyal who has been transferred to the Special Task Force as additional director general (ADG). This change has come at a time when the Kolkata Police Department is facing perhaps the biggest problem in handling the rape case of a doctor at RG Kar Hospital.
Verma is an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of 1998 batch who was ADG and IGP (law and order) in his last assignment. His place was taken by Jawed Shamim.
Many are asking why Verma was appointed as Kolkata police commissioner amid the imbroglio. This is because, sources say, Manoj Verma has been a known problem solver in the West Bengal police under the Congress Left and Trinamool administrations.
In the Left era, when the Maoist challenge was at its peak, Verma as superintendent of police in Paschim Medinipur handled it with great tact, sources said.
In 2011, when the TMC dethroned the Left in West Bengal, sources say that Verma was initially miscast, but later became one of the key figures to deal with the Maoist crisis under Mamata Banerjee’s government as he was part of the party. counterinsurgency force.
He was then transferred to Siliguri Commissionerate as DIG. When there was tension in Darjeeling, he handled the situation there as the IG of north Bengal.
In 2019, he became commissioner in Barrackpore when incidents of violence became common when TMC strongman Arjun Singh defected to the BJP. Sources say he has been handling his responsibilities well as ADG (law and order) as well.
According to officials, Verma’s career graph shows that he faced tough situations and came out with flying colors. He has done well in Jangalmahal, Darjeeling and Barrackpore, they say, and now the Kolkata police need someone to fix their image.
Sources say that there is dissatisfaction in the police force since the arrest of the Station Officer (SHO) Abhijit Mondal by the Central Bureau of Investigation last week in connection with the rape case at the RG Kar Hospital. Many police officers have changed their social media photos to black. Others have met Mondal’s family. In this situation, sources said, a leader is needed to improve the strength of the movement.
According to them, Verma has worked in Kolkata police as DC (traffic) and this experience will help him.
