‘Punished’ for arresting Siliguri DM in graft case, Jayaraman finally gets job after six months

ENS, Kolkata | June 14, 2014:More than six months after he was put on compulsory wait pending posting —- considered a form of punishment —- former Siliguri police commissioner K Jayaraman was Friday posted as DIG, modernisation and co-ordination.

The decision was announced by the state government after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee okayed the reshuffle in IPS cadre in which 54 senior officers from the rank of IG to Additional Superintendent of Police, including Jayaraman, were transferred.

Jayaraman was suspended on November 30, hours after he had arrested then District Magistrate of Malda G Kiran Kumar for his alleged involvement in a financial scam involving the Siliguri Jalpaiguri Development Authority when he was the chief executive officer there. “This (the arrest) was highly embarrassing. We feel that the arrest of the Malda district magistrate was not required and the Siliguri CP had exceeded his brief,” Chief Secretary Sanjay Mitra had then said announcing and justifying the government action against Jayaraman.

Mitra had said the Jayaraman had failed to inform and take permission from the state administration “before taking any action against the senior officer.” Contacted, Jayaraman, who during the compulsory wait period had even decided to apply for central deputation, and was allotted a small, dingy room at Writers’ Building without any job, said he had taken things in good stride. “I am neither happy nor sad. I am an officer of the state government and I will have to obey its orders. However my new assignment is also good. It is a good posting,” Jayaraman said. Before being suspended Jayaraman’s team had been grilling politicians such as Siliguri Trinamool MLA Rudranath Bhattacharya, former SJDA chairman, and Chandan Bhowmik, Trinamool’s Jalpaiguri district chief, for their alleged involvement in the scam.