Kolkata, Mar 9 (IANS): The Officer-in-Charge of Sandeshkhali Police Station, Biswajit Sapui has been transferred by the West Bengal administration.

The move came amid large-scale criticism over the West Bengal Police’s inaction and inability to address complaints of oppression and sexual harassment of Sandeshkhali’s women by a section of the local Trinamool Congress leaders.

Officially, the state administration is describing it as a routine transfer, however, no one in the state is subscribing to the official explanation since Biswajit Sapui has been transferred just three months after he took charge of the Sandeshkhali Police Station.

Biswajit Sapui has been transferred to Basirhat Police Station and has been replaced by Gopal Sarkar.

This is the second important transfer in the Sandeshkhali Police since the protests began by local women against sexual harassment and violence against them.

Sources said that during the recent visit of the full-Bench of the Election Commission of India (ECI), the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar, made it clear that the state administration was under the scanner of the commission, in view of the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls.

State government sources said that since there was a high possibility of the commission directing the transfer of Biswajit Sapui, the state administration thought of transferring him before the poll panel called for it.