Siliguri CP shunted over Malda DM’s arrest over scam

statesman news service     
KOLKATA/SILIGURI, 30 NOV: The state government today removed the Siliguri Commissioner of Police, Mr Kaliappan Jayaraman, for “exceeding his brief” by arresting “without the state government’s knowledge” the Malda district magistrate, Godala Kiran Kumar, in connection with an alleged multi-crore scam in 2012-13 when the latter was CEO of the Siliguri Jalpaiguri Development Authority (SJDA).
The DM was summoned to Siliguri yesterday by police for questioning and was arrested today. He was produced before a Siliguri court which remanded him in four-day police custody.
But hours after this, the Siliguri CP was removed and asked to immediately report back to the DGP in Kolkata. The IG (North Bengal), Sashi Kant Pujari, took over  charge from Mr Jayaraman; Mr Javed Shamim, special IG and DIG Jalpaiguri range, later assumed charge as Siliguri CP . 
In Malda, Mr N K Biswas, the ADM (General), will function as the DM in the interim; the state government will send a panel of names to the Election Commission for selection of a new DM. The EC’s approval is necessary as revision of voters’ list is under way in Malda.  “The Siliguri CP exceeded his brief as he neither informed the state government nor sought an approval before arresting the DM. We think the arrest was not necessary as the DM was neither tampering with evidence nor trying to influence any witness and was also not running away from the investigation,”  Chief Secretary Sanjay Mitra (in photo) said at  Nabanna. "The arrest is highly embarrassing for the government and further action will be taken (against the Siliguri Commissioner).”
The DM has been booked under Section 120 B, 409, 467 of the IPC and the Prevention of Corruption Act. Mr Sudip Roy Basunia, the assistant public prosecutor at Siliguri, said he has been arrested on charges of misappropriation of SJDA funds relating to installation of surveillance cameras, laying of two sewerage treatment plants, desilting of Jorapani river in Siliguri and setting up of three electric crematoriums at Bagdogra, Malbazar and Mainaguri.

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