Soumen Mitra took charge from Rajeev Kumar, who is transferred to the Anti-Corruption Branch.
Soumen Mitra, a senior police officer of the 1988 batch, today took over as the new Police Commissioner of Kolkata after Rajeev Kumar was removed by the Election Commission.
Soon after assuming the chair of the city police chief at the Lalbazar Police Headquarters, Mr Mitra said, "It's a challenging time. My main job now is to get through the elections peacefully."
Mr Mitra was earlier working as Additional Director General, CID in the state police.
Handing over the charge to Mr Mitra, Rajeev Kumar, a police officer of the 1989 batch, rushed to his new office to take over as ADG, Anti-Corruption Branch in state police. Mr Kumar was appointed as Kolkata Police Commissioner in January this year.
With this change, Ram Phal Pawar (an IPS of the 1988 batch), who was holding the post of ADG, Anti-Corruption Branch in West Bengal, would now take over as ADG, CID in the state police.
A notification from the Home department today said the transfers were made with immediate effect and until further orders.
The BJP and Congress had recently moved the Election Commission seeking removal of Mr Kumar alleging that he was close to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and accused him of "snooping" on opposition leaders, bureaucrats and journalists.
The BJP had complained to the Election Commission after an alleged failed sting operation against the party's national secretary and former state president Rahul Sinha late last month.
Two Kolkata Police personnel had allegedly tried to bribe Mr Sinha in return for help to smuggle out cows to Bangladesh. Mr Sinha had alleged that it was a conspiracy by the Trinamool government to trap BJP leaders in the sting operation before the Assembly polls and demanded a CBI probe.