IPS Manoj Verma appointed new Kolkata Police chief amid rape-murder case: All about Vineet Goel's replacement

IPS officer Manoj Kumar Verma has been appointed as the new Kolkata Police Commissioner, a day after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced the removal of Vineet Goyal from the top post. The decision was taken after a six-hour meeting with junior doctors.  

In a significant administrative reshuffle, IPS officer Manoj Kumar Verma has been appointed as the new Kolkata Police Commissioner, a day after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced the removal of Vineet Goyal from the top post. The decision was taken after a six-hour meeting with junior doctors who have been protesting against the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at a state-run hospital in Kolkata.

Verma, who previously served as the Additional Director General (ADG) of law and order for West Bengal, will now take over the top post in Kolkata Police, replacing Vineet Goyal.

Vineet Goyal, the outgoing Police Commissioner, has been reassigned to the post of ADG, Special Task Force (STF). His tenure had recently come under scrutiny after RG Kar Medical College rape and murder case, that sparked questions about his handling of the city’s law and order. Additionally, junior doctors had raised concerns about his leadership, demanding his removal from the post as part of their broader protest.

Who is Manoj Kumar Verma: All you need to know

Manoj Kumar Verma officially took charge as the new Kolkata Police Commissioner on Tuesday. He previously served as the Additional Director General (ADG) and Inspector General of Police (IGP) in charge of Law & Order during his last assignment in January of this year.

A 1998-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, Verma was born on September 30, 1968, in Sawai Madhopur, Rajasthan. An engineering graduate, he has held several key positions in West Bengal, including Inspector General (IG) of Darjeeling until 2019.

In 2022, while serving as the Barrackpore Police Commissioner, Manoj Kumar Verma also assumed additional responsibilities as the IG (Anti-Corruption Branch) and oversaw the sensitive Barrackpore industrial belt during times of unrest.

Notably, Verma was appointed by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to handle the volatile situation in Bhatpara and Kankinara during political violence. His close ties to the Chief Minister's inner circle are well-known, and he has been trusted with critical responsibilities during his career. He has also served as the Superintendent of Police in West Midnapore, where he gained extensive experience in dealing with Maoist insurgencies in the Junglemahal area.

Furthermore, Verma headed the Siliguri Police Commissionerate and was the IG of Darjeeling during the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) agitation in 2017.

This reshuffle, finalized after a meeting at the Chief Minister’s residence in Kalighat on Monday, was expected. Sources from the state government indicated that the decision to replace Goel was discussed at length during the meeting, and the official announcement was made on Tuesday from the state secretariat, Nabanna.

As Verma steps into his new role, all eyes will be on how he manages Kolkata’s complex law and order challenges. His experience, especially in handling sensitive regions like Darjeeling and Junglemahal, is expected to be an asset as he takes the reins of one of India's most prominent police forces.