West Bengal to expand police force and reshuffle bureaucracy

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has announced plans to expand the state's police force, aiming to surpass Uttar Pradesh in personnel strength within two years. During an event where 11,000 newly recruited police personnel received appointment letters, Adhikari noted that the state's current ratio of 105 police personnel per lakh population is below the national average of 155 and Uttar Pradesh's 200.

The recruitment drive includes the selection of 300 Kolkata Police sub-inspectors and the expected completion of 4,000 constable recruitments by December. A notification for 9,000 additional vacancies is scheduled for late November, alongside the recruitment of 650 police clerks. Adhikari attributed previous delays to legal complications regarding OBC reservations under the former administration, stating that recent legal resolutions have cleared the way for these appointments.

In a separate administrative move, the state government has implemented a major bureaucratic reshuffle involving four Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers. These transfers include new leadership roles in the agriculture, animal husbandry, Sundarbans affairs, power development, and tribal development departments ahead of the Durga Puja festival.