Who Will Be West Bengal’s Next DGP? Rajeev Kumar to Retire on January 31, Four IPS Officers in the Race

Kolkata: As West Bengal gears up for the assembly elections, political tensions have escalated from Kolkata to Delhi following the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raid on the I-PAC office. Amid this backdrop, speculation is rising over who will succeed Rajeev Kumar as the state’s Director General of Police (DGP), with his tenure ending on 31 January 2026.

Rajeev Kumar, a 1989-batch IPS officer, became West Bengal DGP in July 2024. Previously, he had been removed during the Lok Sabha elections on the orders of the Election Commission of India but initially assumed the DGP post in December 2023.

Profile of Outgoing DGP Rajeev Kumar
Hailing from Chandausi, Uttar Pradesh, Rajeev Kumar has previously served as the Commissioner of Kolkata Police. Known as a trusted officer of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, he has also led the Special Task Force (STF) and served as Commissioner of Bidhannagar Police. A B.Tech in Computer Science from IIT Roorkee, Kumar has played a prominent role in the state’s policing and intelligence apparatus.

The Contenders for DGP
With Rajeev Kumar retiring at the end of January, attention has turned to potential successors. Four IPS officers are currently in contention:

1. Anuj Sharma – 1991-batch IPS from Lucknow, former Commissioner of Kolkata Police.
2. N.R. Babu (Natarajan Ramesh Babu) – 1991-batch IPS, with extensive experience in key positions in West Bengal.
3. Siddh Nath Gupta – 1992-batch IPS, presently handling the post of DGP (Intelligence) in West Bengal, also from Uttar Pradesh.
4. Piyush Pandey – 1993-batch IPS, another officer from Uttar Pradesh.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is expected to announce the new DGP soon, and the decision is being closely watched in political and administrative circles, especially with elections around the corner.