Manoj Kumar Verma made Kolkata’s Commissioner of Police: 10 things to know about him

The reshuffle in the West Bengal government's Health and Police departments, as announced by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee after her meeting with the agitating junior doctors, came into effect on Tuesday. Under this reshuffle, senior IPS officer Manoj Kumar Verma was made the new commissioner of Kolkata Police, replacing Vineet Goyal.

Here are 10 things you need to know about Manoj Kumar Verma:

• Manoj Kumar Verma, an officer of the 1998 batch, was the Additional Director General of Police (ADG) and Inspector General of Police (IGP) (Law & Order) in his last assignment.

• Verma is a decorated IPS officer, who was awarded the Police medal for Meritorious Service (PMMS) on Independence Day in 2017 when he was posted as Inspector General of Police (IGP) of Traffic headquarters.
• Later, in 2019, Verma was felicitated with the Chief Minister's Police Medal for his work as the Police commissioner of Barrackpore.
• In 2022, while serving as the Barrackpore Police Commissioner, Manoj Kumar Verma also assumed additional responsibilities as the IG (Anti-Corruption Branch).

• Born on 30 September 1968 in a middle-class family in Rajasthan, Verma completed his schooling in his hometown and cracked the UPSC exam in 1998.
• He is an alumnus of the National Police Academy, Hyderabad.
• Verma was first posted as the Superintendent of Police (SP) in West Midnapore district of West Bengal. His efforts in mitigating Maoist activities garnered him extensive acclaim.
• Jawed Shamim, the officer considered as a top contender for the Kolkata Police Commissioner position, was made the ADG and IGP (Law & Order). Shamim, who was the ADG and IGP (IB), has been replaced by Gyanwant Singh.

• Vineet Goyal was under fire over his handling of the rape and murder of the 31-year-old post-graduate intern doctor at the RG Kar hospital in August this year.
• The decision of Goyal's removal was announced by Mamata Banerjee on Monday night after her meeting with agitating medics.
• Goyal, who was of the 1994 batch, was made the ADG and IGP of West Bengal Police's Special Task Force (STF).
• Goyal officially handed over the responsibilities to the new Kolkata Commissioner of Police at 4 pm today.
• The West Bengal government also removed Kolkata Police's DC (North) Abhishek Gupta and brought in Dipak Sarkar from the Siliguri Police in his place. Gupta was made CO of EFR 2nd Batallion.