National

IED blast: notice to seven police officers

KOLKATA: Seven police officials including an Additional Superintendent of Police of Purbo Medinipur district were issued show cause notices on Wednesday.

They were asked to explain their role in the supervision of security along the stretch on which an explosion occurred at Kalaichandi in Paschim Medinipur district shortly after Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s convoy passed by on November 2.

The pilot car of the convoy of Union Steel Minister, Ram Vilas Paswan, which was preceded by Mr Bhattacharjee’s convoy, was severely damaged and six policemen injured in the blast.

The Additional Superintendent of Police to be served the notice was in charge of the sector along the line of the route taken by the convoys, the State’s Inspector-General of Police (Law and Order) Raj Kanojia, said here.

Among those to be served the notice was the officer-in-charge of Salboni thana in Paschim Medinipur district and two Deputy Superintendents of Police, he added.

The police officials have been asked to reply to the notices as soon as possible explaining why they had failed to follow the security drill on the day of the incident as had been revealed in preliminary investigations.

Three policemen had earlier been suspended for dereliction of duty for what the State police administration admits was a severe security lapse.

The police administration has said action could be taken against other police officials on duty on that day irrespective of their ranks if found to be responsible for the lapse.

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